We Will Never Surrender
by fearthepurple
Summary: PostOTP The Wizarding World is at War and Voldemort is threatening to take over. When the light side is pushed to the brink of defeat it is up to Harry Potter and his companions to bring back order. Warnings:Death,Violence
1. Chapter 1

War. The wizarding community had been pushed into a state of open warfare. Another civil war had begun between the purebloods and the wizards who supported equality. There was full blown panic after it had been reported that the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge, had witnessed Lord Voldemort in the Atrium of the Ministry. He was not the only one though; a hand full of aurors and other Ministry employees had arrived just in time to achieve a glance at the Dark Lord before he disappeared. As hard as the Minister pulled all his political strings, he was not able to prevent the news from leaking. The next day the headlines of every wizarding publication, not just in England, but everywhere around the world, read the same: **"He Who Must Not Be Named Returns!" **

There were screams of disapproval and outrage in the Ministry the day the reporters had published their stories. The screams weren't coming directly from people though. No, they were echoing from the hundreds of thousands of howlers that had landed in the Minister's office. If it were not for the seriousness of the times, it would have been a hilarious situation to most people. It looked as though half the birds in the world had started migrating to England with envelopes ready to berate and harass Cornelius Fudge. Security was forced to continually replace the silencing charms around the building to prevent noise carrying over into the muggle world. The sight became even more humorous when Fudge had finally had enough and sealed himself in a broom closet to prevent anymore letters from reaching him.

Things quickly continued to deteriorate for Fudge. Albus Dumbledore was quickly reinstated to the Wizengamot after the desperate pleas from the public for him to return. The public quickly had a change of heart with regards to Dumbledore and Harry Potter. The news of the Dark Lord's return was enough to smother the flames that the press had created against them. In the first session of the Wizengamot since Dumbledore's return, he quickly called for a vote of no confidence in Fudge and was backed by the majority of its members. Not only had Fudge tried to deny the return of Voldemort, but when it came into the light that Lucius Malfoy had been caught and identified as a Death Eater during the events in the Department of Mysteries, the members of the Wizengamot were furious. It was widely known that Fudge had pocketed millions of galleons from Malfoy in exchange for political influence. He didn't put up too much fuss on the way out as he was quickly escorted out of the Ministry by several aurors.

News of Fudge's removal was greeted with approval from the public. The only problem that was left with his removal was there was no one in the position acting as Minister of Magic. Dumbledore adamantly refused to fill the position as he had done on many previous occasions and while there weren't a plethora of candidates vying for the position of Minister, there were enough to create division and slow workings in the government. Unfortunately, someone was well aware of the problems within the Ministry. That person was Lord Voldemort himself and he was taking full advantage of the situation. The previous year he had done everything to keep his anonymity and keep the wizarding world in the dark. Since the news of his return had spread, he was no longer afraid to show off his capabilities. His followers were striking with a vengeance, even without the Death Eaters who had been apprehended at the Ministry. It was now a common occurrence everyday to hear of muggle houses in multiple numbers bursting into flame in the same neighborhood. The number of bodies found lying on random street corners were increasing at an alarming rate as were the number of missing persons. With the disarray inside the Ministry, it was almost impossible to keep tabs on the known Death Eaters and to investigate the attacks. The muggles were rapidly growing suspicious of the events transpiring. The only one that knew anything of what was going on was the Prime Minister and he was only given general details. He was trying to pass off the killings as random acts of violence or terrorist attacks from well known groups, but it was hard to explain how many of the victims were found dead without any signs of distress.

If the problems of the aurors were bad, it was nothing to the muggle authorities. It was becoming a common twisted practice of the Death Eaters to imperius the police and have them abuse and attack innocent citizens. There were full blown riots in the streets by common citizens who couldn't comprehend the actions of the people who were sworn to protect them. The skylines of London were streaked with columns of thick, black smoke. If it was the Dark Lord's purpose to create chaos he was succeeding admirably.

These were the reasons why Albus Dumbledore was walking down the halls of the ministry in the middle of summer holidays. Having been reinstated as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he would normally have been in his office preparing for the coming year of education. He should have been starting his yearly tradition of searching for a new occupant for the position of the Defense Against the Dark Arts, but now there were more pressing matters at hand. What he wouldn't give to be relaxing in his office, enjoying the relaxing trills of Fawkes. There was no more time for such guilty pleasures any longer. He had known that this war was coming, but unfortunately the blindness of Fudge had lost any time that they would have had for preparation. The violence was in full swing already, it had started faster than in the previous war and that bared bad news for everyone.

He continued his long trek down the winding halls of the Ministry, reviewing the events of the recent weeks in his head. One topic was more prominent then the others, that being young Harry Potter. He thought to himself of how many mistakes he had made when it came to Harry. It was one of the hardest moments in his life, in a life filled to the brim with hard moments, informing him of the prophecy. They were words, just words, but the meaning behind them held the fates of everyone in the world. The pain he witnessed in the young man's eyes when he informed him was almost unbearable. No young man should be forced to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Dumbledore had thought that keeping the contents of the prophecy from Harry would allow him to enjoy his childhood, but how wrong he had been. Of all the mistakes he made, sending him to the muggles to live with was probably the worst of all. How could any family have treated a child as they did, especially one with the compassion of Harry, who would jump in front death itself to keep someone from harm. He should have listened to the pleas of Minerva and left Harry with a magical family, or even Sirius. If he had handed over Harry to Sirius he may never have gone after Pettigrew and been sent to Azkaban.

He had thought that mistake may have been forgotten when Sirius escaped and was reunited with his godson, but unfortunately it was not to be. Harry had been right, if he had known about the prophecy and not been left in the dark he would most likely have not gone to the Ministry and Sirius would still be among the living. The guilt for taking the one father figure Harry had had in his life away would remain with him forever. He would have to push that to the back of his mind for now, because now there was work to be done.

He walked past the cubicles that made up the auror offices which were filled with a flourish of activity and made his way to the door that read Head of Magical Law Enforcement. The large mahogany door was opened just a crack and the sound of a quill scratching furiously could be heard coming through. Knowing it was rude to come barging in unannounced, he knocked on the door and waited for the affirmative to enter. After hearing a curt voice telling him to come in he pushed the door open slowly and peered inside. The office of the Head of Magical Law Enforcement greatly reflected the personality of the person who occupied it. There was a sparse amount of furnishing and a few family photos lining the walls, but other than that there was not much else. Amelia Bones was a women who was not to be taken lightly. She was a powerful witch who was dedicated to just two things, her job and her family. With no Minister of Magic to head the government, she was the one currently charged with keeping the community safe and it was visible it was taking a toll on her. The stress she was feeling practically radiated off of her and the normal strict, all business countenance she kept on was gone. She looked up from her work as the commanding presence of Albus Dumbledore entered her office.

"Hello Albus," she sighed wearily, "what can I do for you?"

"Good morning Amelia, I hope I'm not interrupting, but I was wondering if you had time to talk this morning?"

"Well, you happen to be in luck seeing as the Death Eaters seemed to have taken a break from their activities for at least a few hours. Honestly Albus, things are starting to get bad. I've heard rumblings that You Know Who is up to something and it has disaster written all over it. We have no idea at all as to what he did this previous year while he was hiding."

Dumbledore walked further into the room and settled himself into one of the straight back chairs across from Madame Bones' desk. "My source from within the Death Eaters had been able to provide some information, but not much. His main objective was to retrieve the prophecy which I have discussed with you already, but it seems as though recruiting was his secondary goal. The numbers he has amassed are most disturbing. He has won the support of the giants and vampires, along with the majority of the werewolves."

"Is this just in England?"

"No I'm afraid not," Dumbledore said lowering his head and rubbing his eyes under his half moon glasses. "In the last war he was happy to stay isolated in England, but I fear that he has more ambitious goals in mind now. In his last reign he was still learning, still gaining knowledge and power. I believe he had reached the peak of his magical power before he went after the Potters, and now he has his body and all of his power back. Now I believe he will try to make good on his threats to purge the world of the muggles and muggle born witches and wizards. This is no longer just England's war."

"It will spread even faster," Madame Bones started, "because in the state our Ministry is in he could walk in here and claim power. Our resources are so stretched thin and disorganized it is hard to accomplish much of anything."

"Ah, now we have moved to the reason for my presence today. I have been reluctant to back any candidate for the Minister because of my influence on the people. I wanted the people to make up their own minds as to who to support, but there is no more time for thinking. You understand whoever I support will be named Minister?" He waited for a second for her to nod her head in understanding. "The person who I want to the lead the Ministry is you Amelia."

She stared at him for a second with her mouth hanging open slightly in shock. After she had regained her composure somewhat she responded, "Are you serious, no one even nominated me for the position. No one is going to vote for me."

He smiled and answered, "Yes they will. You are the best suited for the job and the person I would trust the most in the position. The others who are vying for the job are doing it for all of the wrong reasons. Like Cornelius, some are doing it for the prospect of power and others like Amos Diggory are doing it out of pure want for vengeance. Neither are people who I would want to follow. I have known you for many years, and you have run this department with steady efficiency, the same sort of efficiency that our world requires now."

Madame Bones sat back in her chair and held her head in her hands. If it was possible to see in her head, the wheels turning and processing the information would stand out. It was completely silent in the office for several long minutes. She looked up and peered around her office considering things. Finally, looking back at Dumbledore, she straightened her posture and cleared her throat.

"I'll do it, be it though reluctantly," she stated strongly. "Now what is it that you want out of this deal." She smiled at the wide eyed look on his face. "Come now Albus, as you stated before we have known each other for years, and I know there is something that you are going to request."

Dumbledore simply laughed and said, "So you caught me. You don't have to worry though, for what I am asking has no bearing on me. It is my students who I am concerned about. When you take office there is one thing that you must do quickly. That is to remove the ban on underage magic. The children must practice and be able to protect themselves away from Hogwarts without fear of punishment. Along with this you must destroy all of the tracking equipment used to detect underage wizards. If, Merlin forbid, the Ministry is taken, those things would be a way for Lord Voldemort to track down the children and we cannot allow that to happen. That is the only stipulation I have, the rest I leave in your very capable hands."

"I can deal with that. I'm sorry to kick you out Albus, but I really must get back to work. I'll see you at the next Wizengamot gathering and let us pray that this works out."

Dumbledore stood up from his chair and made his way to the door. "Just have faith Amelia, everything will work out." He opened the door and quickly made his way back towards lifts. Finally making his way to the atrium he used the floo to make it back to his office. Looking around he saw Fawkes on his perch resting peacefully, softly trilling with every breath. Feeling like something was out of place he turned towards his desk where a relatively large parcel was sitting on his desk. He made his way over swiftly and picked up the box. Sitting back in his chair he removed the lid. Looking down his eyes went wide with horror and he dropped the box. Out of the box, rolling onto carpeted office floor, came the severed head of Severus Snape. Trying to regain control of his breathing and lower his heart rate, Dumbledore grabbed the desk in front of him in a strangling hold. That is where he noticed a letter that had been lying beneath the parcel. Quickly picking it up, his eyes flashed with anger as he saw the initials L.V..

_**Dumbledore**_

_**I found your spy, he will be the first of many to die**_

_**You're Next**_

_**I Am Lord Voldemort**_


	2. Chapter 2

It was nearing midnight on Privet Drive and the only light that was still on was the one located at house number four on the second floor in the spare bedroom. The occupant of the bedroom, one Harry James Potter, more commonly known as the boy who lived, was sitting at his broken down desk, rereading for what must have been the twentieth time the day's copy of the Daily Prophet. He skimmed over the part where it talked about how Head of the Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, had been named the new Minister of Magic. It had been a nearly unanimous vote after Albus Dumbledore had nominated her.

Harry thought about the previous Minister and it made his muscles clench in anger. If he ever saw Fudge again he didn't know if he would punch him or hex him. The idea of finding out how Hermione had cursed Marietta Edgecombe, and then spelling out the words "I'm Fucking Stupid" on his face was tempting. He wondered if anyone had checked the man's left arm for the dark mark before they tossed him out. Over the previous year he had been more helpful in allowing Lord Voldemort to move around unimpeded than any of his inner circle. Not that his inner circle could do anything anymore, most of them, besides Bellatrix, were now sitting in their own private cells in Azkaban. Harry wasn't under any illusion though, he knew that they wouldn't be there long. Voldemort had managed to break his followers out once, and he would do it again, even easier now that he had all of the dementors under his influence.

He dropped the newspaper and, stood up and stretched, trying to get the aches out of his body from sitting in the hard chair for so long. Looking out the window he could see movement out by the bushes. Knowing it was one of the members of the order disillusioned babysitting him, he walked over and plopped down on his bed. Trying to readjust himself on the mattress that felt like solid concrete, his gaze fell upon the photos on his bedside table. The first one depicted the two people who had been his first real friends in his life, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. It was a picture from their fourth year, during the celebration after the second task in the lake. The next picture down the line was of his parents when they were right out of Hogwarts. It was just them standing around in somewhere that looked like Hogsmeade, without a care in the world. He doubted whether he would ever have a look of being care free on his face ever again. That feeling was only reinforced even more when he looked at the final picture on the table. In the picture were his parents standing with largest smiles he had ever seen, in their wedding robes, and right next to them, was the handsome face affixed with the permanent mischievous look of his godfather, Sirius Black.

Unfortunately, the keyword in that phrase was "was". He couldn't believe how stupid he had been, flying to the Ministry of Magic on bloody thestrals. If he would have listened to Hermione instead of the word of a psychotic house elf none of his friends would have been injured and Sirius wouldn't of come to his aid. He thought about putting that picture away because whenever he woke up from what little sleep he managed he would look at it and it would be like someone punching him in the gut. The guilt was enough to make him go crazy. He was guilty, yes, but there were other people to blame as well. First there was Snape who could have tried to help him while he was being tortured by Umbridge, not that the lack of help surprised him really. Then of course was that crazy bitch Bellatrix Lestrange who had knocked Sirius through the veil, and who he promised himself he would kill at some point in the near future. A year ago he was pretty sure that he would have been incapable of killing someone, but now he thought he could do it easily and there would be no effect on his conscience. And that was the point of the matter, he would have to kill someone, as stated by that damn prophecy that Dumbledore had sprung on him after the catastrophe at the Ministry. He was the last person who he blamed for Sirus' death and Dumbledore himself had admitted it. There was no doubt that he was still royally pissed at his headmaster and wished that he had done more damage to his office, but it was hard to stay mad and not forgive him. Dumbledore had only tried to protect him because he cared and didn't want the burden of the world on his shoulders. The next time he saw the Headmaster he would definitely talk to him and tell him he was forgiven because now was not the time to hold grudges. 

However much he wished that the prophecy wasn't real it didn't matter because it was real and he was going to have to kill Lord Voldemort. The only problem now was that he had no idea how that was going to happen. One thing was for sure, that was that he had studied more in the two weeks that he had been back at Privet Drive then he had in all the previous years combined. He knew so many curses and spells at this point that he would give Hermione's mind a run for her money. The first thing he had done when he returned from Hogwarts was send Hedwig to Flourish and Blotts and ordered every book on dueling and Defense Against Arts that was available. He had made it through half of those books already as it was away of not thinking about the loss of his godfather. There was also the fact that he lived with the Dursley's and they ordered him to stay in his bedroom anyway so there wasn't much else to do. He looked at his watched and realized it was already past one in the morning so he sank back into his pillow and fitfully fell asleep.

"Boy wake the hell up and get down here!"

Lovely way to be woken up in the morning Harry thought as he stretched out allowing his ancient blanket to fall to the floor. Looking at his watch he was surprised to see it was nine and that he had managed to sleep through the night. Getting up quickly and throwing on a pair of jeans he headed out of his room and down the stairs. 

"Took you long enough," Vernon shouted as he appeared on the bottom step.

Feeling rather good this morning he answered, "What can I do for you on this glorious morning Vernon?" He had to fight to hide his laugh as his Uncle's face turned its normal shade of purple.

"Don't you get smart with me boy! We're going away for the week on vacation and you're staying here. Your old enough to stay here by yourself so that's what you'll be doing. There best be no freakishness used in this house while we're gone or else there will be hell to pay, even with your freaky friends warnings, got it?"

It was like Christmas had come early, he was barely hiding the huge grin that was trying to spread over his face. "Of course Uncle, no freakishness allowed. Are you planning on leaving me food or should I leave the house and go beg the neighbors?"

"There's enough food to last you the week so you better keep your scrawny behind in this house." He left without another word and closed the front door behind him.

Listening to the sound of the car driving away he made his way into wonderfully Dursley free kitchen. Fixing himself some toast and juice he sat down at the kitchen table. It was hard to believe that he was going to be left alone for a whole week. He had free reign on the entire house including the television in the living room. Deciding that was exactly where he was going to start he cleaned up the small mess he made and walked into the living room. This was the room in the house that he hated the most. You would think that you were walking into a museum dedicated just to photos of Dudley Dursley. It was eerie when everywhere you looked there was Dudley staring at you on each wall. Finding the remote to the television, he turned it on and switched to the muggle news station that he had listened the previous summer. It was pretty much what he expected. Unexplained deaths, disappearances, and utter chaos were in all the headlines. The war had finally begun.

Having all of the depressing new that he could handle, he switched off the television and made his way back up the stairs to his bedroom. The first thing he noticed when he got back was that Hedwig was intently staring at something in the room and when he turned there was another owl sitting on his dresser. Moving over to the dresser he reached out and untied the letter from the owl. As soon as it was detached it took off back out of the window that had been left open for Hedwig. Looking down at the writing on the outside he noticed the Gringott's seal on it and wondered what business he could possibly have with the goblins.

_Mr. Harry James Potter,_

_ It is with our greatest sympathies that we must speak with you at your convenience to discuss the will of the late Sirius Black. Normally it is not the custom for a representative to make trips to a client's residence, but seeing as you are a significant holder in our bank we will make an exception. Please send back a reply with an acceptable time for a meeting._

_ Griphook_

_ Gringott's Representative_

He dropped onto his bed and simply stared at the piece of paper. So far he had been doing a good job of suppressing his emotions, but he didn't think he would be able to if he had to listen to Sirius' will. Anything that was in it wouldn't make up for the person he lost. Resigning himself to the inevitable, he retrieved a blank piece of parchment from his school trunk and wrote a quick reply for the goblin to show up tomorrow. Hedwig, realizing she was needed, flew out of the cage and over to his arm. After attaching the letter she hooted and quickly made her way out into the warm summer air.

The stress of what he had just dealt with took all his energy out of him so he considered lying back down. That plan didn't last long as there was a knock at the front door. He doubted it was a Death Eater who was so kindly knocking on the front door, but that didn't stop him from slipping his wand into the back pocket of his jeans. Quickly making his way downstairs he place his hand on his wand and pulled open the front door. It wasn't a Death Eater, but it was somebody he wasn't expecting to see soon. Professor Dumbledore stood at the door looking extremely odd in an old, grey muggle suit. His beard was still as large as ever it was impossible to tell what color tie he was wearing if he was even wearing one at all.

"Hello Professor, come in," he said standing aside and motion for Dumbledore to enter. Dumbledore nodded and smiled, gracefully making his way into the house. They made there way back into the living room and found seats.

"So how are you Harry?" Dumbledore started concernedly.

"As best as can be expected sir. I'm just trying to keep myself busy," he answered honestly.

"That's good Harry, it helps to stay busy and not dwell on things that as much as we would like to, cannot be changed. Again I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for not keeping you inform and not disclosing the details of the prophecy," he stated solemnly.

Trying to keep his emotions in check he said, "It's alright Professor I forgive you and I'm sorry for destroying your office. I know I shouldn't have gone to the Ministry, but there's nothing I can do about it now and there are more important things to worry about."

"That is a very mature way of looking at things Harry and do not worry about the damage you did to my office. I believe it is time that we start to prepare you for what lies ahead, something that I should have started a long time ago. The order informed me that your relatives have vacated for the week so I thought that we could train while they are gone."

"That's sounds great sir, but you should know there's a goblin from Gringott's coming tomorrow to discuss Sirius's will. 

"That's fine Harry, we can manage to work around that. You wouldn't mind though if I were here when the goblin came would you?"

"Not at all sir."

"Excellent Harry, now we have things of great importance that we need to discuss. I would like to start by learning from my mistakes and informing you of the happenings in the wizarding world. Lord Voldemort has gained supporters in many different countries and I fear that he has amassed his own army. The werewolves, giants, dementors, and vampires have all joined his ranks. I believe it is only a matter of time before he strikes out and takes control of the government. I have done my best to stabilize it for now. Nobody can say for certain what is going to happen, but it does not look good."

"Is there anything we can do sir?"

"I am going to do my best to train you while we still have time, but I fear it will not be long. Now you must listen to me Harry, Lord Voldemort still does not know of the prophecy and it must remain that way. Do not tell anyone unless they are willing to swear a wizard's oath to you to not tell. I will not lie to you; I fear that I will not be around much longer. The other day I received the severed head of Professor Snape on my desk at Hogwarts along with a note saying that I was next. Tom will come after me, he knows that I am not what I once was. If something happens to me Harry, you must escape and go away. It must be you who defeats the Dark Lord, but you are not ready yet. Before he comes for me I will move all of my possession to a place where only you can locate. There are many materials that will be helpful to your quest. I have managed to convince the Minister to remove all of the tracking devices for underage magic and destroy them so you will not be targeted."

Harry just sat on the sofa in the living room trying to act like a sponge and absorb all of the information that was just revealed. It was substantial to go from knowing nothing to knowing everything. The idea that the Ministry was going to fall and that Voldemort now had an army was disturbing. The fact that Dumbledore was expecting to die and be defeated was earth shattering to him. Dumbledore was his mentor, his teacher and the closest thing to a family member he had. He was the greatest wizard in the world, he couldn't die.

"Sir why don't you just hide with me, don't let him find you? We could wait until I'm ready and then go after him together," he almost pleaded. 

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head, "No, if we both disappear together then he will put all of his efforts into finding us. He knows that you have the ability to thwart him, but he does not know you are the only one. You will be a secondary objective to him. Hopefully, when he comes after me I will be able to injure him enough that he will require time to heal and that will distract him from you." Seeing the sullen expression on his face he continued, "Do not worry Harry, I have lived a long, successful life. I do not fear death and it is not the end, but just another journey to partake in. If you remember anything at all that I have told you, just remember that your power over Voldemort is your ability to love. Figure out how to harness that power and you will beat him, I know it."

"Thank you sir, I just hope you're right." They sat there in silence for a few moments, each of them just collecting their thoughts. "Now what did you want to work on today sir?"

"Well, I don't believe you will have to worry about occlumency any longer, because Voldemort would dare not try to enter your mind again after the experience at the Ministry. The skill that we will work on today will be most important to you in the future and that is Apparation. You will need to be able to move quickly from place to place in the event you need to escape or there is an emergency somewhere. It's rather simple once you get used to the feeling. Now go ahead and stand up and I want you to concentrate on your location that you intend to appear in, in this case, the kitchen. Think about it then use your magic to push you to the location. Go ahead and give it a try."

Harry stood up from the couch, wand in hand and cleared his mind of everything other than the kitchen. He concentrated on his magic that he felt every time he fired a spell and took a step forward. He opened his eyes which he didn't remember closing and saw that he was standing in the Dursley's immaculate kitchen. He decided to try it again, only this time focusing on the living room. Taking a step forward he appeared right in front of a smiling Dumbledore.

"Excellent work Harry, as I said it gets easier after you do it for a while. Now I think I have kept you long enough, I would like to give you one of my books to start reading now as it may be useful in the coming times. Start reading and we will work on it tomorrow before the Gringott's representative arrives." Harry nodded and accepted the book that Dumbledore had pulled out of his robes. As soon a he looked up from the book there was almost silent pop and he was left alone in the Dursley's living room.


	3. Chapter 3

He tossed the book off of his stomach where it had ended up after he had fallen asleep reading the previous night. It was unbelievable how many different types of wards there were to protect a location. As soon as he saw the title of the book after Dumbledore had given it to him, he knew what he meant when he said it would be useful. In the event that he was forced to go into hiding, there were a variety of simple wards he could use to protect his location. There were muggle repelling, intruder alerting, and shield wards that were easy to create according to the book. Though there were simple wards, there were also several that could cause significant damage to intruders that were harder to create. Some of the wards were nasty and had debilitating effects, such as the one that would remove a person's legs from the knee down if they passed through. Another one would cause the skin on someone's body to start to burn off until they left the area. He made a promise to himself not to try them unless he was desperate and it was absolutely necessary.

His watch read nine in the morning so he figured he should get up and get a shower before Dumbledore showed up at his front door again. Going into his dresser and finding some clean clothes he made his way into the nauseatingly clean bathroom and turned on the hot water. It was one of the luxuries he was enjoying with the Dursley's gone, actually being able to use hot water. They always made sure he was the last one to use the bathroom and by the time his giant size uncle and cousin were finished the water was always frigid. Undressing and stepping into the shower he instantly relaxed as the water hit his body. All of the thoughts of the war and Sirius's will left his mind if just for a while.

Quickly finishing his shower and getting dressed, Harry headed downstairs to fix himself some breakfast, but was so shocked he almost tripped over his own feet when he made his way into the kitchen. Professor Dumbledore was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea and reading a copy of the daily prophet. Hearing Harry stumble he peeked over the top of the paper.

"Sorry if I startled you Harry. I knocked on the door earlier and there was no answer so I let myself in. I figured you were still sleeping, but then I heard the shower running so I made some tea. Are you hungry?"

Recovering quickly from the surprise he answered, "Yes sir." Dumbledore put down his paper onto the table and pulled out his wand that had been stored in the dark blue suit he was sporting today. Giving it a quick wave a plate of eggs and toast appeared on the table along with another cup of tea. Thanking the Professor he took a seat at the table and dug into the food.

"So Harry, did you have a chance to read any of the book that I gave you?"

Finishing the bit of egg that he had in his mouth he swallowed and answered, "Yes sir, I found a lot of useful wards in the book that shouldn't be too much of a challenge to cast. Although the ones that eat skin and break bones seem like they take most of your magical energy."

"That's right. You shouldn't have any trouble with the simple wards, but if you tried to do something like the fidelius charm on a location, it could knock a normal wizard out for several hours. Fortunately for you Harry, you are an extremely powerful wizard for your age and it would probably only make you weak for an hour or so. At least that is my best prediction on the matter. Just don't try to cast one unless there are no enemies around or you have someone trustworthy with you." Dumbledore put down the paper again that he had resumed reading while Harry was eating. "You'll be happy to know that since it is Monday, that the Wizengamot held a session today and officially did away with the ban on underage magic. That means after you finish we can start practicing a few of the wards." 

After breakfast was through, Dumbledore led them back into the living room where they had been working yesterday. He waved his wand and the blinds closed, keeping anyone from peering in, but in the process blocking out the sunlight that was illuminating the room. Harry went over to an end table and turned on one of the lamps making it easier to work. 

"Alright Harry, the first ward we are going to practice is the stinging ward. It will give anyone who tries to break through the equivalent of a stinging hex and will hopefully discourage them from advancing any further. I'm going to go into the kitchen and I want you to put the ward around this whole room and then I will test it. Do you remember the incantation from your reading?"

"Yes sir." Dumbledore walked back into the kitchen left Harry to work. He tried to remember everything that he had read from the book the previous night. First he pictured the area that he wanted to be warded and who he wanted it warded against. He took notice of where every wall ended and connected with other walls. After gaining a firm image in his head next was the wand movement and incantation. Grabbing his wand, he pointed it straight towards the ceiling, making a large clockwise circle and said, "_Pungo Obex!"_

He felt a burst of magic from his arm and it shot through his wand and toward the ceiling. The light from the spell turned bright yellow and cascaded towards the floor creating a dome. It shimmered for several seconds before the light dissipated. Harry stood for a second wondering if he had done the spell right, but then he heard a quick grunt of pain coming from the entrance to the kitchen. Grinning at his success he heard Dumbledore calling him.

"It worked perfectly Harry and I have the welt on my arm to prove it. Now if you would kindly remove it so we can move onto the next one." Harry made a quick wave of his wand and the dome shimmered brightly once more and died out. Dumbledore came striding into the room absently rubbing his left forearm. "You certainly put plenty of power into that one. Now we'll test one more and should have the hang of the process. It's all downhill after that. That and I really am not wanting to be the victim of too many hexes. I'm not as young as I once was."

Harry laughed and asked, "So which one should I try."

"I was thinking of one that is completely pain free, the intruder alerting ward would do. Can you tell me what you read about this one?"

"Well it doesn't actually have any effect on the intruder like you said, but it lets you know when someone you don't know is approaching. There will be a buzzing sound that only you can hear and you'll have the element of surprise because the intruder won't realize they set off the ward."

"I couldn't have said it any better myself, now go ahead and try it." The Professor walked back into the other room so he could test it after it was cast. 

Harry went through the steps again in his head; quickly jabbed his wand towards the ceiling and this time said the incantation in his head. Waiting for his non verbal magic to work, a dark red light shot out of his wand and formed the same dome shape as before. The ward showed its effectiveness as soon as he heard the loud buzzing sound in his ears followed by Dumbledore walking into the room. Dumbledore was saying something to him, but he couldn't quite make it out. There was one problem with this ward, and that was that by the time you were able to find the intruder, the damn buzzing sound would probably drive you insane. Waving his wand, he shut down the ward and then rubbed his ears trying to make the noise leave his head. Looking back he could see Dumbledore chuckle.

"I'm guessing you didn't enjoy the sound very much. A little advice for you, is that if an intruder enters your ward, take it down before you attack so that it doesn't distract you while dueling."

"Wouldn't the intruder see the ward coming down?"

"Did you see what happened when you took the ward down Harry?"

"Uh, sorry, no sir I was too busy concentrating on the buzzing in my head."

"Nothing happened Harry, when the ward comes down its transparent. It would be best to describe it as what someone would see if someone was disillusioned. It's not completely invisible, but almost." Dumbledore reached into the breast pocket of his coat and pulled out small golden pocket watch. "It's a little past ten Harry, what time did you tell the goblin to show?"

"He should be here at noon sir."

"Good, well now that we have Apparation and warding out of the way, the rest of the week we have will be spent dueling. I am going to put my own ward up around the living room so none of your relative's possessions will be damaged by stray spell fire." The Professor waved his wand and a golden shield emerged covering the room. "Ok, now we are going to duel each other with all the spells you can think of besides the unforgivables. Let's start."

Dumbledore threw a disarming spell, and he quickly rolled out of the way. By the time he righted himself, another disarming spell was heading straight at his chest. He tried to remember the book on shields that he had read. Waving his wand straight ahead in a circular motion he shouted, "_Contego Pondero!"_ The spell hit his shield, almost knocking him off balance, and then shot right back towards Dumbledore. Maybe Harry should have told him about all the training and studying he had been doing since he left Hogwarts because Dumbledore looked genuinely surprised when his spell came flying right back towards him. Harry could barely contain a smirk as he saw his headmaster drop to his knees to narrowly miss being hit with his own attack.

"Excellent work my boy, it seems I've underestimated you. See what you can do with this." The headmaster silently levitated a small pillow off of the couch and shouted, "_Gravis!"_ Pointing his wand straight at Harry, the small pillow rocketed towards him.

Harry, thinking it was nothing to worry about, simply lifted his wand and said a quick _Protego_. It was a mistake considering the projectile pillow decimated his shield and then hit him directly in the stomach with the force of an oncoming train. In one swift moment his feet left the ground and he landed with a thud on his back. Unfortunately the pillow also landed on his stomach, and it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. He had to fight to breathe as all of the air had been knocked from his body. Using what little strength he could muster, he managed to roll the pillow off of his stomach, making it land on the floor with a resounding thud. 

Dumbledore walked over and offered him his hand which he accepted after regaining some air in his lungs. "Now Harry, there are two lessons that you should learn from what just happened. The first is never to underestimate something or someone that you do not know. You heard me cast the spell on the pillow, but you did not know what it was. Instead of treating it as just a simple pillow flying towards you, you should have treated it as if it was lethal spell. Never let your guard down Harry." He waited for Harry to nod that he understood. "Good, now the second lesson is that you should use everything in your surroundings to your advantage. I turned a harmless pillow into a weapon that could kill with just a relatively simple spell. You don't have to use things as weapons either, there are spells, like the unforgivables, that cannot be blocked with shields, in which case you could levitate an object in its path to take the damage. You can also animate objects to attack or subdue foes. You'll find more on that subject in the materials that I leave to you after I have gone. We still have some time, so let's go again."

They practiced dueling for another hour, until they were both quite worn out. Harry even managed to disarm the headmaster once with a lucky _Expelliarmus_. While they were sitting down discussing their tactics, there was a knock at the front door. Looking down at his watch he realized that it was already noon. He never even thought about how the goblin was going to show up, but knocking on the front door in plain sight of muggles was not one of the options he had considered. Quickly moving off of his spot on the couch he went to the front door. Standing there on the front step, as small as ever, was the same goblin who had taken him to his vault during his first trip to Diagon Alley.

After giving a curt bow, the goblin looked up. "Good afternoon Mr. Potter, I trust everything is well? Perhaps we should head inside, it is not wise to linger outside during these troubling times," he said glancing backwards where a cloud of black smoke could be seen billowing towards the sky a few blocks away.

"Of course Griphook, please come in," he said politely. Closing the door, he led the goblin into the living room where the headmaster was enjoying another cup of tea. "Professor Dumbledore, this is Griphook from Gringotts."

"Hello headmaster," the goblin greeted Dumbledore. "Now Mr. Potter why don't we proceed with this so it's not drawn out any longer then it has to be." Receiving an affirmative the goblin reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment, which he began to read.

_I Sirius Black, do, upon my death leave all of my possessions to my godson, Harry James Potter. As head of the Noble House of Black, I name him my heir, and he is to receive all monies that are attached to that title. No other member, especially the Malfoys and Lestranges, are to get their murderous hands on a single knut. If you are hearing this Harry, there is still more. When your parents died, there will stipulated that I was to be given hold of the majority of their estate until you came of age. Unfortunately that did not happen. Seeing as you are now the head of the House of Black you are now seen in the eyes of the wizarding world as an adult. That means you will receive everything. There are too many things to list here, but there should be a list accompanied with this letter of all the possessions. I am so sorry that I cannot be there for you now Harry, especially at a time when you need me the most. You have been like a son to me Harry and I have cherished the time that I have spent with you. I know you will beat Voldemort, there is no doubt it my mind. Just remember to never give up. If you are pushed to your limits and there is no escape, don't give the bastard the satisfaction, Never Surrender! I love you Harry and I will always watch over you._

_Sirius "Padfoot" Black_

_MARAUDERS FOREVER_


	4. Chapter 4

Harry just sat on the couch dejectedly, completely numb after what he had just heard. It was taking every ounce of self control he could muster not let his emotions go. Sirius' words meant more than he could ever express. He had only been able to spend a short time with him and he had no idea that he thought of him as a son. The problem sometimes with being a guy was that you were to talk about how you felt with other men, even family. In that letter was the first and last time Sirius had told him he loved him. It was the first time anyone had said that they loved him, and it was for that reason that his self control broke enough for just one tear to roll down his face before his hand quickly swiped away the evidence that it ever existed. There was no time for crying he told himself, he couldn't be weak anymore with the fate of the world on his shoulders.

Dumbledore just sat there, looking sympathetically towards him. His eyes were devoid of that customary twinkle that could be attributed to them. The goblin simply sat looking indifferent until he handed Harry the parchment with Sirius' writing gracing it. Looking down at his godfather's writing, he quickly folded it up and put it into the pocket of his jeans.

"Alright, Mr. Potter," Griphook started, gaining his attention, "I have the list of possessions as stated in the will. First to the Black Family money, you have received a sum of twenty seven million galleons. It was slightly larger than that number, but we round down to the next whole million and keep that as our processing fee, just so you are aware. There are also several stocks in various wizard companies, but some of them are near worthless. You have acquired several prop-." He stopped suddenly as Harry put his hand up. All of the talk with Dumbledore the previous day about what was happening in the wizarding world and how things were going bad had raised some serious questions in his head.

"I hope you're not offended by my question, but I was wondering what side the goblins stood on in this war?"

Griphook stared at him intently before answering. "The goblin nation does not choose sides. Wars between wizards and other wizards are none of our concern. We cannot be bought and we cannot be intimidated to join by either side."

"But what happens to the bank if Voldemort takes over? Surely he won't leave you alone; he's too pompous to accept being turned down."

The goblin sat another moment not talking, most likely considering just how much information he should be sharing with this boy. "In the event that there is a threat to the bank in London, or any other branch of Gringotts around the world, the banks will seal themselves closed. They will be impenetrable, even to the very capable powers of the Dark Lord. Goblin magic is exceedingly powerful and is not to be taken lightly. You do not have to worry about any of your possessions being taken or any personal information being given out. The goblins take many oaths, and we may not betray anyone without dire consequences, meaning immediate death."

"That was really what I was concerned about the most, but how does the bank function? How can people access their money if the banks are sealed shut?"

"The only way to retrieve gold from the banks in the event of its closure is by post request. The charms we put on the bank to make them impenetrable will allow access to only owls. The letters to request gold must be accompanied with a vial of blood freely given. We have ways to identify the owner of the blood and whether or not it was taken by force. Clients of high importance such as you, Mr. Potter, may be transported by a goblin directly into the bank itself to conduct business."

Pleased with his explanation he urged the goblin to continue with the business at hand. "As I was saying before, you have gained the property located on Grimmauld Place, house number unknown, a beach front villa located in Greece, and a ski lodge in Switzerland. That concludes the holdings of Mr. Black, now I'll continue to the possessions left by Mr. James and Mrs. Lily Potter. The total amount of galleons amounts to fifteen million galleons, including subtractions for fees. Properties included in their estate include a cottage in Godric's Hollow, a piece of land in Canada, and a home in the state of Maryland in America. As you are well aware the home in Godric's Hollow was destroyed and hasn't had any work done to it; just something to consider. I'll leave the list here with you, on it you will find the actual addresses for the residences except for the one on Grimmauld Place. If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to contact me by post at the bank. If that is all, I really must return to work."

Harry, still dazed from the information he had just heard, stood and walked over to where Griphook was seated and offered his hand which was accepted by the goblin. "Thank you for coming here Griphook, and all the information you gave me when you didn't have to. I may contact you again this summer some time about my holdings."

The goblin stood up and made his way out of the room, "Very well Mr. Potter, good day, same to you headmaster." He left quickly and disappeared with small pop.

Harry trudged back over to the couch, plopped down and leaned his head back against the wall. There was only so much a teenager could take in a short amount of time and he had a feeling he was reaching his limit. Learning the wizarding world was falling, his headmaster expected to die, training to defeat Voldemort, and then hearing what his godfather and parents had left them after their deaths was just too much. Dumbledore finally broke the silence after several minutes.

"I am proud of the way that you handled that Harry. Most people would be overly excited about becoming one of the richest wizards in Britain."

"I'd gladly give every single piece of gold I have if I could have my parents or Sirius back. It doesn't matter anymore," he said despondently.

"Ah, but it does matter Harry. The fact that you would give up all of your wealth to regain your family just speaks to the volume in which you are capable of love. Use that love for your family to destroy Voldemort. It will be your greatest weapon in this war. Do not focus on revenge or hatred, even if it is in your mind. Don't give into it because that is what Tom Riddle has done and it is the reason that you will defeat him." Harry couldn't even come up with a response to that so he merely nodded his head, even if he didn't really believe it. "Now onto what Griphook informed you about and your inheritance. By the way I was impressed at how you took matters into your own hands and questioned Griphook about the goblins' loyalties. Have confidence in yourself now Harry, because soon I won't be here to advise you."

"I know sir," he answered sadly.

"Well, I believe you will have to make good on the offer from Griphook to contact him about your money. I want you to be prepared for every eventuality Harry. That means you should get substantial amounts of money changed into different currencies in the event that you are forced to flee England. In the matter of the properties, I do have some knowledge of them. Of course you know of the house of the Blacks. I would guess that you had already figured out the reason the goblin couldn't give you the house number?"

"It's because of the fidelius charm you put on the house sir."

"Correct Harry. The trouble with this is that I am the secret keeper. Unfortunately the charm will break when I die and it cannot be transferred from one person to another. I would be cautious if you attempted to go there."

"I'm guessing that Bellatrix and Narcissa both know the relative location of the house since they've probably been there before."

"Your guess would be right. I'm almost certain that they have informed their master of the location because I have spotted robed figures lurking in the area recently. I have instructed the members of the Order to stay away from the house as to not be identified and targeted."

"What are you doing about the Order sir?"

"The news on that front is bad I hate to inform you. There is little that the Order can do with so little numbers and with many of them being kept busy with their jobs in the ministry. I also want the members to stay with their families in these troubling times and to help protect them. I cannot keep them from their loved ones in this hour of darkness that has descended upon us."

"Have you told them that you plan on dieing soon?"

"No I have not Harry. It would only lower their spirits further and I do not want them to think that I am giving up. I am most definitely not giving up. As Sirius mentioned in his will, it is important to never surrender, and I will never give into Voldemort. I will fight him with everything that I have until I take my final breath on this Earth."

"So will I Professor," he stated in deadly serious whisper.

"I know you will Harry and you will win," Dumbledore said looking directly into his striking emerald eyes. "I will teach you everything I can in this week we have left together and then it will be up to you. Now back to the properties we were discussing. The villa in Greece, which is a beautiful country by the way, should be intact, as should be the lodge in Switzerland. If you do decide that you must leave though I would suggest leaving to one of the other properties though. Staying in Europe would be more dangerous and there is more of a chance of you being apprehended. The best places to go would be in either America or Canada. I did visit the house in Maryland once while your parents were there, right after they graduated Hogwarts. The home is out in the country surrounded by many forests, so it is isolated and you wouldn't raise suspicion. You should be aware that the American Ministry is located close by in Washington D.C. along with the muggle government. I have an old friend who lives close by there if you need anything. The address will be with the possessions that I give to you. His name is Albert Bowler and to gain his trust, just mention to never lose sight of the quaffle. He was a schoolmate of mine and I said that to him after he was injured during a Quidditch match."

"You played Quidditch sir?" Harry asked trying to picture his headmaster on a broom as a teen.

"Ah yes, I was a rather good keeper for Gryffindor. Never made team captain as I would have liked, but we did mange to win the cup in my last two years," Dumbledore recounted fondly. "You'll be able to recognize Mr. Bowler quite clearly. He's as old as me, but is lacking completely in hair, not just on the top of his head either. Due to an unfortunate potion experiment a few years back all of his facial hair, including his eyebrows, were completely burned off and he has never been able to grow them back for some reason. I always make it a point to make a joke about his predicament. You wouldn't mind doing one last favor for your old headmaster would you Harry?"

"Anything you ask sir," he said sincerely.

"Since I most likely won't be seeing Albert again until we meet in the next life, I would like you to grace him with one more little joke from me. Please remind him how ironic it is that his last name is Bowler and that his head just happens to resemble a bowling ball. I've used it before, but it is the one that always makes me laugh the most," Dumbledore stated with a smile and his blue eyes twinkling merrily.

Harry couldn't help but laugh, even if it was sort of corny. "Of course sir, it would be my pleasure to remind him."

"Wonderful Harry, now to the last piece of property that you own. I advised your parents to go to the land in Canada when I informed them that they must go into hiding, but your parents were adamant that they had to stay and help in the war effort. There was no way that they were going to leave their friends, especially Sirius and Remus."

"Why would they go there though? I understand it's far away from England, but the goblin and yourself just said it was just a piece of land in Canada."

"Ah this would be one of the few things that the goblins are not aware of. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to give you a small history lesson to explain. You see your family, your father's side that is, was a very old pureblood line of wizards and witches. Though they were pureblood, they never carried any prejudice or hatred toward half bloods or muggleborns. As with today that was not a very popular stance to take among other pureblood families. There were not as many laws or regulation back during the eighteen hundreds and conflicts were often solved with dueling and other forms of violence. Often times, your family was attacked by multiple members of the pureblood families and forced to flee. At this point one of your relatives, I can't remember the name now but your grandfather did mention it to me once, decided to create a place of safety for your family to go in times of trouble. There is a cave in Canada that leads to an underground sanctuary that only a Potter can enter. You will have to place a drop of blood somewhere near the cave for the entrance to reveal itself. I have no idea what sort of condition it is in because it hasn't been used since your great grandfather went there."

"Why wouldn't the goblins know about it though sir? They seem well informed on pretty much everything else."

"Do you remember Harry how Griphook said that the goblins would never enter into feuds between wizards?" Harry nodded. "Well that does not mean that they themselves have never been involved in conflicts against wizards. As you may remember from your History of Magic lessons, if you were able to remain awake, there have been many wars and rebellions with the goblins. It was a wise idea on your relatives part to not disclose what lied on that location in Canada, in the event that the goblins became violent. It always pays to have a place where no one can find you and now you have that place Harry."

"I understand sir, if anything happens than I'll go there first to throw the Death Eaters off of my trail. Then I might consider the other locations."

"One last thing before we conclude for the day Harry. I want you to make sure all your things are packed so that you can quickly fetch them if you have to leave. Also, now that you have the location of your properties, find a map and locate them so that you are able to Apparate to all of them. Do you have any other questions before I leave?"

"No sir. I think I have enough to start working on."

"Very well then, until tomorrow," Dumbledore said giving a slight bow of his head and quickly disappearing.


	5. Chapter 5

The week had gone so much faster than Harry would have liked. It was already Saturday and the Dursley's would be back that afternoon. Harry had learned so much in his week with Dumbledore and he felt more confident than he had ever before. Just weeks ago, fighting in the Department of Mysteries he had felt utterly out classed by Voldemort's Death Eaters. He really hadn't even had a proper duel with any of them. Most of the time, it was him running away to cover and trying to throw a hex in every once in a while.

He and Dumbledore had just finished their last dueling exercise and were both sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup of tea. Staring down into the dregs of his teacup, he thought about what today meant. This was possibly the last time he was going to see or speak to the Headmaster. Dumbledore had always been like family to him and had always been there for him. He was his mentor and nobody would be able to replace that just like no one could replace his parents or godfather. Just minutes before, he had felt more confident than ever, but now his mind was playing games with him.

"Just so you know Harry, I have moved everything I informed you about into a hidden location. I'll give you the directions before I leave." Harry simply moved his head informing Dumbledore that he had heard him. They drifted into silence once again. The constant ticking on the second hand of one of the clocks was amplified by the lack of conversation.

Giving into the doubts that were waging war in his head Harry asked, "Do you really think I can beat him Professor? Please don't just try to appease me or calm my nerves, just tell me what you honestly believe."

Dumbledore gazed at him with his piercing stare and seemed to be considering what to say to his pupil. "Do I think that you can beat him Harry? The answer to that is yes, but not yet. While I have taught you many things this week, there is a wide world of magic out there for you to delve into. Remember that there is not a distinct line in between light magic and dark magic. It all depends on how you use it. You could take the darkest of spells and use it to defend a friend from danger, but that does not mean that you are an evil wizard. It is all about the intent Harry. Using spells to intentionally cause pain and to torture is what makes an evil wizard. Teach yourself all the branches of magic, but use them all for the purposes of good. Back to your original query Harry, if the question you are asking is if I know you will win, than the answer is that I do not. Nothing is ever certain Harry, which is why so many people have a severe distaste for the art of divination."

"I understand sir."

"Good Harry, remember to never lose faith in yourself. To win you must believe that you can win. Do not fear the unknown. Face it head on and make of it what you can. It was Voldemort's greatest mistake when he followed through with that prophecy Harry. He gave you the power to defeat him and he will pay for his greed and hate."

"Now I just have to figure out how to use the power."

"I have faith in you Harry, you will figure it out." Taking out his pocket watch Dumbledore sighed. "It is time for me to leave Harry. You're family will be back soon and I do not want to cause a scene. I'm sorry that I had to leave you here Harry, I know they have never treated you right and you deserve better." The look of guilt on the Headmaster's was hard to watch. "The only family I have left Harry is my brother and we have never gotten along. After the war ended the first time he left and I haven't spoken to him since. You have been more like family to me Harry and I have greatly enjoyed getting to know you over the years. If you would take it I have something that I wish for you to have." He pulled a long chain out of one of his coat pockets and handed it to Harry. Looking at it, he realized it was a necklace made of pure silver. On the chain was a pendent. It was a phoenix surrounded by flame with its wings spread. Harry looked back up at Dumbledore. "That was given to me by my father before he died. He told me to pass it down to my children, but unfortunately I never had them. You may not be my child biologically, but I consider you to be. That is why I would like you to have it."

He looked down at the chain and pendent again before he slid it around his neck. The metal was cool on his skin and surprisingly light. Harry thought about what Dumbledore had said and couldn't believe he thought of him as a son. His emotions were fighting a blazing battle right now against his self control and he couldn't get any words out for fear of losing it. As his Headmaster stood, he did the only thing he could think of. He got up out of his seat and hugged him. Dumbledore seemed surprised for a second before he relaxed and patted him on the back.

Harry let go and tried to get his emotions in check once more. "You have no idea what it means to me for you to give me this sir or to say what you just said. I feel the same about you and I hope we get to see each other again."

Dumbledore smiled, "We will see each other again Harry, at some point in time. Here is the location of my things, make sure no one else finds them." He handed him a rolled up piece of parchment. "This is goodbye for now Harry." Dumbledore Apparated out of the room and Harry sunk to the floor and put his head in his hands.

Life sucked. He sat there on the floor waiting for the Dursleys to come home, but they hadn't shown up yet. It was already an hour past the time they had called and said they would be home. That in itself was something to worry about, not that he was really all that concerned about them. They were the people who always criticized others for not being punctual so it was odd for them to be so late. Intending to go back up to his room he got up, but was stopped suddenly when the phone rang. Walking over he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mr. Potter?"

"It is, how can I help you?"

"My name is Charles Pollard; I'm with the police department. I'm sorry to inform you, but the bodies of Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley were discovered dead in their car behind a fueling station. There was no visible sign of harm that was found, but an investigation has been-."

At this point Harry dropped the phone and fell to his knees. No sign of harm, but dead only meant Death Eaters. Quickly jumping to his feet he started racing towards his bedroom. The only thought that was running through his head was, "_Oh shit the blood wards are down!_"

XxXxXxXx

Dumbledore appeared right outside the gates of Hogwarts after Appartating from Privet Drive. Approaching the gates he noticed that they were open. This was unsettling because he was the only one who should have been able to open them. Pondering the situation, he was startled when a blast of flame appeared next to his head. Looking closer he saw that it was Fawkes and pointed to his shoulder where the phoenix landed quickly. Looking into his companions eyes he knew what had happened. Fawkes only came without being called if something was wrong.

"Tom is in the castle isn't he my friend?" The bird sadly nodded his head. "That is what I thought. I have one request of you before I go meet my fate. I know that when a phoenix's master dies they are the ones who choose their new master. I'm not ordering you to, but it would greatly please me if you go to Harry. He will need you now Fawkes. My time to defend the Wizarding world is at an end. It's his turn now; keep him on the right path." He patted the bird's head and allowed it to fly away.

He started walking the path towards the castle and on the way for the first time in many years, truly admired the grounds of Hogwarts. The sun was glistening off the surface of the lake where part of the giant squid was breaking the surface. The expansive mass that was the forest surrounded the castle and various creatures could be seen moving about. It was always hard to reprimand his students, when he himself had snuck into the forest countless times as a boy. Continuing up the path he saw the Quidditch pitch that he loved. He had the privilege to watch many a generation of talented players show off their skills. Forever would the image of an eleven year old Harry Potter catching the snitch in his mouth be stuck in his mind.

He finally reached the front doors to the castle and made his way in slowly. Passing the Great Hall he took one final look at his seat at the head table. No more welcoming feasts or speeches, no more molding the future generations of witches and wizards. He walked up to the house point counters, pulled out his wand and with one swift flick they disappeared. There would be no more division among the students; it should have been done long ago.

He made his final assent up the stairs of the great structure, getting closer and closer to his office where he knew pure evil waited. Many times had he thought about the end. There was no doubt that he had put his life on the line before, but there was always that uncertainty whether he would live or die. This time he was certain, but he was not nervous or scared. He had lived his life in service to the people and that is how it would end. Finally reaching his office he saw that the stone gargoyle that guarded it had been blown to pieces and the stairs left exposed. Holding his wand tightly he walked up the stairs and made his way in. There, with the snake like red eyes and pale skin, sitting behind his desk was Voldemort.

"Hello Tom," he said casually. "I believe you are in my chair."

"How many times Dumbledore, must I tell you to not use that ridiculous name. My name is Lord Voldemort, greatest wizard alive, and this is no longer your chair," Riddle sneered.

"And what may I ask do you mean by that?"

"It's quite simple actually. I am going to turn Hogwarts into my own base of operations. It will be where I train my followers in the Dark Arts, teaching them to hunt and kill. We will put the dungeons back into use for their intended purposes." Voldemort smiled and licked his lips. "I can't wait until I can hear the screaming of the mudbloods and muggles as they are tortured."

"So what will happen after you take the school? Will you be happy to sit back and enjoy the castle's many wonders?"

"Oh no, I plan on striking out against all of England, and then the rest of the civilized world. We will torture and kill the muggles and use them for whatever we please. I will eradicate this world of the filth that spoils it. After that I will find that nuisance Potter, cut off his wretched head, and impale it upon the gates of Hogwarts for the world to see. The boy who lived indeed," Voldemort snorted.

"You underestimate Harry greatly Tom," Dumbledore started. "He is more skilled than you were at his age, and vastly more intelligent. That night you went and killed his mother and father, you may have marked him with that scar, but you marked yourself for death. Once he realizes his power he will come for you Tom. He will bring with him the justice of God and the fury of the Devil. He will lead the light back into power and he will banish you and your followers into the deepest, darkest depths of Hell. He will not fear you." When he finished his inspired speech, Voldemort was absolutely livid and had drawn his wand out of his robes. His haunting eyes were burning blood red.

"You may be right Dumbledore, but that is why I will take care of him before it is allowed to happen. His last remaining relative has been destroyed and the protections are gone. I have sent some of my best Death Eaters to bring him to me, but if that is not possible to just simply kill him." Voldemort stared at Dumbledore waiting for a response, but he got none. "What's this Albus, not running off to rescue your savior?"

"He does not need me to protect him anymore Tom. You may want to have a healer at hand for when your followers do return. They may be in need of immediate medical attention."

"We will see Dumbledore. Since you are free now, why don't we get this over with? I want to start redecorating the castle to my preferences. It's too bad you ordered your professors to leave the school. I could have used them to warm up on. Some blood on the walls would have made for a nice atmosphere." Voldemort quickly threw a killing curse at Dumbledore that he dodged. The curse blew a four foot hole into the opposite wall hurling dust and small stones everywhere. Dumbledore responded by launching a barrage of cutting curses which were deflected, slashing several of the portraits of former headmasters. They started shouting obscenities that would make the darkest of wizards cringe.

Dumbledore quickly conjured metal spikes and they flew straight at Voldemort. The first two passed him and impaled the wall, but the third sliced through the Dark Lords thigh, causing blood to pour down his leg. He was incensed now, conjuring his own spikes, but four times in number, he threw them with lightning speed at Dumbledore.

Sensing the projectiles heading towards him, he threw up the strongest shield he knew, but it wasn't enough. One of the spikes gashed open his calf while another tore through his shoulder essentially nailing him to the wall. The pain in his shoulder was excruciating. Luckily it wasn't the arm in which he was holding his wand. He quickly dissolved the metal spike and sealed the wound. Just in time he dropped to his knees as a raging ball of fire flew over his head. The hair on the top of his head was burnt and he could still feel the heat lingering from where the fire had passed. His whole body was sweating and he wished he would have transfigured his suit before he started dueling. Muggle suits were meant for business, not fighting dark wizards.

Dumbledore got to his feet slowly, trying to ignore the pain from where the spike had slashed his leg. He lifted his wand and a dazzlingly bright orange light erupted from it. The light circled Voldemort until it went straight down and pounded the floor. The ground crumpled in front of him and he fell forward on his hands and knees. Sensing his chance Dumbledore levitated his extremely heavy wooden desk and dropped it straight down onto Voldemorts prone body. Voldemort threw his hands up to block the desk and was able to partially change its direction. Unfortunately it still landed on his arm and the shattering of his bones echoed through out the ruined office. The Dark Lord screamed in rage and the desk exploded into pieces. Dumbledore felts as the splinters of wood inserted themselves into his skin, but he stood tall, still ignoring the pain. Voldemort stood, the bones in his arm peaking through the skin, he dropped his wand and with another scream of pure hate pushed his wand hand forward. A cyclone of wind exploded from his hand and Dumbledore sailed through the air and right into the wall he was now extremely familiar with. He could feel blood slowly trickling its way down his neck. His head throbbed from where it had hit the wall and his back ached. The pain was starting to overwhelm him now. He saw Voldemort pacing back and forth walking over rubble. Those wretched eyes had the look of a predator going in for the kill on its helpless prey. Sensing his time was running out he shot a blinding light out of his wand and called for Fawkes one last time. The bird erupted out of the flame and was clearly upset at the sight of his master.

"Fawkes…," Dumbledore started fighting for his breath. "Take my…wand to Harry. He…will need it…now. Go…my friend!" Tears fell from Fawkes' eyes as he wailed out a chilling trill of song. Diving through the air with astounding precision he pulled the wand out of Dumbledore's hand and was gone as quick as he came.

With the disappearance of the wand the blinding light disappeared and Voldemort was clearly seen again. "Giving up so easily Dumbledore? How could anyone call you the most powerful wizard in the world? What you are is a shadow of your younger self. Old age has brought you down. Now welcome death old man!"

"Almost Tom, but not yet!" Dumbledore raised both of his hands over his head just as a sickly green curse escaped from Voldemort's wand. He watched that green curse head straight for him, but he had no inclination to stop it. Above his head he gathered his remaining magical strength into a ball, pressing it into shape. The last image he would ever see was the triumphant gleam in Voldemort's eyes as the green curse impacted his chest. Dumbledore's arms dropped as the curse hit and the energy was unleashed. He had turned himself into a bomb.

XxXxXxX

The customers of the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade were quietly enjoying their drinks until the loudest sound ever heard ripped through the air. Every patron dropped their beverage and raced outside the door. Some of them gasped, other shed tears, but they all witnessed the same sight. A quarter of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was gone, completely gone.

A/N: Please Review


	6. Chapter 6

Harry remembered reading about blood wards in the book Dumbledore had given him at the start of the week, but he couldn't remember how long the wards would stay up after the person who the ward was based around died. It would have been good information to know as he scurried around collecting all of his possessions. He had found an old duffle bag lying around in the attic and he had shrunk his trunk and stuck it in the bag. He noticed that Hedwig was gone, and could only hope that she would find him wherever he ended up. Quickly shrinking her cage, he threw it in his bag and put it across his shoulders. Lying on his bed was his Firebolt, which he had left out in case he had to make a quick getaway. His wand was clutched securely in his hand as he took one last look at small room that had been his. Swiftly walking down the stairs he started to think about his options.

Before he could come up with a solid plan though, he was interrupted by several loud explosions that sounded like they had come from down the street. Running quickly over to the window he could see flames engulfing some of the neighboring houses. He was forced to look away as several of the residents from the homes ran outside, trying to douse themselves from fire which had consumed them. He thought about going out and trying to help, but that was before he saw the Death Eaters walking down the middle of the street. It wasn't just a few Death Eaters either, there were whole lines of them. They were casually throwing death curses at the muggles who unfortunately ventured outside. It was like nothing he had ever seen before; the Death Eaters looked like a muggle army. This wasn't how they normally operated, out in the open in large numbers. Death Eaters normally struck swiftly without drawing attention. This was totally new, and Harry knew it didn't bode well for anyone.

He had to get out quickly without drawing attention. No, he thought to himself. If he let himself be seen, maybe he could draw them away from the muggles who hadn't been harmed yet. Who was he kidding though, certainly not himself. It didn't matter, the Death Eaters would continue what they had started. The sickening screams of the victims outside were already imprinting themselves into his mind. His thoughts were quickly interrupted once again as he heard voices outside the house.

"Potter come out now! We have your whole house surrounded, there is no escape! If you make this easy we will make your death swift and painless!" Harry had no idea who that voice belonged to, but the next voice was definitely familiar.

"Baby Potter, come out, come out. We know you're in there. I've been so looking forward to seeing you die. Come now and you can meet your blood traitor Black in hell. I'm sure he's sitting there right now with your filthy parents!" Bellatrix Lestrange shouted at the top of her lungs.

Harry could feel the magic in his body swirl and reach toward his fingertips, waiting for release. That bitch of witch was dead. How dare she come there and insult his family. His mind was so filled with anger and he didn't even realize he had blown out every window and door in the house. The shards of glass that had blown out were circling in front of him like a tornado. Who ever was in charge outside was smart not to come into the house first, because as the first Death Eater stepped inside, Harry launched the glass at them. The jagged pieces of glass ripped through them like a knife through butter. The walls on either side of them splattered with blood as the lifeless body fell to ground.

Harry stood at the ready, waiting for the rest to come in. It didn't take long as he heard people rushing in from the door to the back yard. Five more rushed through the front and spread themselves out. He looked around, but he couldn't recognize any of them.

"What's the matter? The crazy bitch is afraid to come in and get me?" Harry taunted. He didn't think they could possibly be so stupid, but they proved him wrong when every single Death Eater threw a curse at him. Quickly dropping to all fours, he watched as half of the Death Eaters were caught in the crossfire. A couple of them looked like they had been hit with the killing curse, while a few more were showing large gashes across their body and bleeding heavily on the floor.

There were only three of them left standing and they looked to be completely shocked at what had just occurred. Taking advantage of their lack of attention, he levitated the couch from the living room and tossed it at the two that were still up in front of the entrance to the house. The couch hit them both in the midsection, knocking them backwards and landing straight on top of them. He didn't have much time to admire his work though, as he felt something slice through his left shoulder blade. He felt the blood running freely down his back, and silently thanked the Death Eater for his bad aim because it could have been worse. Not waiting for another attack from behind, he swung around and put up a shield just as another attack hit. It bounced off the shield and went straight into the kitchen. The spell must have been an _Incendio_ because when it hit the wall it started to burn. It wasn't enough he had to worry about Death Eaters, now he had to worry about the house burning down on top of him.

He got up and threw his own cutting curse at the Death Eater, but it was quickly deflected. Not stopping he launched a stunner and one more cutting curse. The stunner was avoided, but the cutting curse ripped through the Death Eater's chest. They howled with rage and rushed right at Harry. He hadn't really expected this and was picked up and slammed into the floor. The wind was knocked out his body and he was seeing stars for a few seconds. His glasses had miraculously stayed on his head, so he was able to see the Death Eater rise off of him and level his wand. Not waiting for the inevitable attack he used both of his feet and kicked straight at his attacker. They were knocked backwards by the force of his kicks allowing Harry to get up off the floor. He raised his own wand and shot ropes out binding the Death Eater and leaving him struggling on the floor.

He had momentarily forgotten about the fire in the kitchen, but was quickly reminded as he saw the flames starting to spread into the between the kitchen and living room. Searching around the room he saw that all of the Death Eaters in the room were either dead or incapacitated. He figured the rest of the ones outside were guarding the exits and were content to let him burn to a crisp. He tried Apparating, but as he had expected they had warded the house against it. Coming up with an idea he found where he had dropped his duffle bag and pulled out his father's invisibility cloak. If he wanted to get the Death Eater's and Voldemort off of his trail for a while, what better way than to make them think he was dead. He went to the bottom of the steps leading to the upper floor and threw another _Incendio_. Repeating his actions, he blocked off the front entrance in a wall of flame. Making sure he had all of his things, he walked out towards the door to the backyard. He was pretty sure his invisibility cloak was flame resistant, but that notion was about to be tested. Throwing the cloak over his body, he shot another _Incendio_ right at the base of the door and then ran right through.

Thankfully he was proven right as he saw that he wasn't on fire when he landed out on the concrete of the patio. Looking around he saw there were about twenty Death Eaters standing guard, just watching the house burn. They had completely torn down the fence that had surrounded the yard. All of the Death Eaters in the back had chosen to wear masks so he wasn't able to recognize any of them. The problem now was getting away. He thought about flying, but there was too much of a risk of the cloak falling off and being shot down. One thing was for sure they he had to move because debris was starting to fall from the blazing house. Looking back at the line of people, he made his decision and stepped carefully in between two who were reasonably spread apart. It was fortunate that they were all enamored with the burning house because they would have been able to see the clear imprints of shoes in the grass that hadn't been mowed in over a week.

He silently made his way into the neighbors yard a saw the extent of the damage that was being caused. Every single house on the street was either burning, or had already fallen. He tried not to look as he saw his neighbor's bodies laying spread eagle on the ground. Looking up into the sky all he could see was black. It wasn't just coming from his street either; it was coming from all directions. This was it he thought to himself, they were taking over. Thinking of this made him think of his friends. He started to panic because he had no idea what was happening to them. Hermione lived with muggles and they were probably the first to be targeted. Ron lived at the Burrow which was usually filled with capable wizards. He decided he needed to find Hermione first so he ran to the park that was familiar with and finally felt the anti Apparation wards were gone. Concentrating on Hermione's address that he had looked up on a map, he took a step forward and vanished.

When he reappeared all he could do was fall to his knees. He put his head in his hands and let loose a terrifying howl of pain. In front of him were the burning remains of the Granger's home. Their car was parked out front burning which meant they must have been home. His whole body had gone numb again. The grief was overwhelming. He couldn't even process the fact that his best friend was dead. Voldemort had seen to it that the brightest witch of the age had been killed, but he would pay for it Harry vowed to himself. One day this was going to stop.

Searching the rest of the street he realized that it must have been one the first areas targeted because it was deserted and all the houses were just smoldering. Somebody must have tried to call the police because there was an overturned police car sitting in front of one of the houses, completely charred. Realizing there was nothing he could do here, he pictured the Burrow in his mind and with another quick turn he was gone.

When he arrived he couldn't hear any sounds of distress so he threw off the invisibility cloak and walked towards the house. What he saw there caused him to duck down and drop to his stomach. The house was still intact yes, but it was crawling with over forty Death Eaters. By the looks of it there had been some sort of scuffle because some of the Death Eaters were tending to various sorts of wounds. The others were just sitting around or going through and ransacking the house. The only question now was where were the Weasleys?

He put the invisibility cloak back on and slowly crept towards the house. Stopping behind the shed he finally saw them. Molly, Arthur, Ron, and Ginny were all bound and gagged lying in the grass. They looked a little worse for the wear, but seemed to alright otherwise. There was no way he could get to them without alerting the massive amount of Death Eaters. A battle was raging inside of his head at the moment. How could he just leave Ron and the rest of his family there at the mercy of Voldemort? Then the other side of his mind argued what would happen if he was caught? What would happen to the world if their savior was captured and killed? The cloak had slipped off of him when he crouch down by the shed. He looked back around at the Weasleys and watched the looks on their faces turned to stunned when they saw him. Harry just simply stared for a second, not knowing what the hell to do. He was saved from the decision when he saw Mr. Weasley followed by the rest shake their heads at him. They knew as well as he did that if he tried to attack it would be a suicide mission. There were just too many.

"Alright grab the blood traitors and let's get out of this dump. Put them with the other prisoners. I'll take care of the house," the Death Eater in charge announced to the rest. Four Death Eaters came and grabbed the Weasleys. Harry stood watching helplessly as the they Apparted away. The rest of the them left soon afterwards leaving just the one standing in front of the house. These numbers were a whole lot better Harry thought as he stood and walked towards the man.

Just as the Death Eater was about to curse the house, the side of his head was impacted by Harry's fist. The Death Eater fell to the ground, his hands grasping his injured head. Harry was so mad at the moment that he was forgoing his wand. He needed to take his aggression out and the Death Eater was about to get the brunt of it. Harry didn't even wait for him to get up before he swung his leg forward and landed a shot right in his ribs.

"Something wrong? You're not very tough when you're not surrounded by your mates are you? I don't think you're used to a fair fight." The Death Eater managed to stagger to his feet, but Harry made sure he wouldn't be able to see his face when he punched him straight between the eyes. He could hear the bones crack and he watched as the man fell to the ground holding his bleeding face. "Make sure you tell your snake of a master that he's going down." He picked up the man's wand and snapped it in two.

Thinking about where to go, he remembered he had to go pick up Dumbledore's possession before he could go anywhere else. Taking out the slip of paper with the location he realized it was in Hogsmeade. Not just in Hogsmeade either, it was in the cave that they had met Sirius in during fourth year. He turned on the spots casting one last look at the Death Eater on the ground.

Hogsmeade was pretty much in the same state as everywhere else he had been. He could see several fires going strong and there were Death Eaters rounding up the people. His anger spiked again when he saw a pile of bodies lying to one side of what must have been the people unwilling to go quietly.

He quickly made his way past the deserted Shrieking Shack and up the path towards the cave. When he reached the cave he realized that the it was completely sealed off. Wondering what he was supposed to do he looked back on the parchment that Dumbledore had given him and saw written down, "Death to tyrants." Guessing that it was some sort of password, he repeated the phrase and the stone that had covered the entrance to the cave dissolved completely away. He walked into the cave and his eyes wandered around. In the back were piles of Dumbledore's possessions. Most of the pile consisted of books that looked liked there many centuries old. There ranged in subjects from Animagus training to elemental magic. All of them would probably be useful just like Dumbledore had told him. He saw Gryffindor's sword along with the sorting hat. He was pretty sure Dumbledore didn't want either of those things in Voldemort's possession. There was a box full of gadgets that he thought he had destroyed after he had thrown his tantrum after the Department of Mysteries fiasco.

One of the boxes, he was surprised to see, contained all of the files on the students of Hogwarts. Harry thought Dumbledore could have just destroyed them, but he always had reasons for doing things. Another box there contained what looked like Dumbledore's personal belongings such as a journal and family pictures. With the box was also a Gringotts key. Harry had never really thought that when Dumbledore told him he was being left his possessions he was going to leaving him his money too.

While he was busy thinking, he didn't notice a brief flash of fire at the opening of the cave. He was going through more of the boxes when he was startled by a bird landing on his shoulder.

"Fawkes!" Harry shouted when he realized who it was. That's when he noticed that he was carry something in his beak. It looked like a wand, and a very familiar one at that. "Is that Dumbledore's Fawkes?" He asked shakily. Fawkes nodded his head and dropped the wand into Harry's hand. "Is he gone?" he asked already knowing the answer. Fawkes nodded once again and Harry had to sit down. This was it, it was for real. It was completely up to him now. "Did he hurt Voldemort Fawkes?" The phoenix raised its head proudly and trilled what to Harry sounded like an affirmative. "Good," was all Harry could answer at the moment. "Are you staying with me?" Harry asked the bird. Fawkes nodded once more and his answer made Harry feel little bit better. "Could you do me a favor Fawkes? I need you to go and find Hedwig and let her know that I'm headed to the United States. She'll be able to find me once she gets over there, but I have no idea where she is right now." Fawkes trilled once more and was gone with a another flash.

XxXxXxXx

The group of Death Eaters that had attacked Privet Drive marched swiftly up the grounds of Hogwarts towards the front doors of the castle. They were surprised at the state of the castle. It looked like part of it had been blown away. Their worry was not enough to perturb their mood though, for they carried with them the news that would greatly please their master.

Bellatrix led the group through the front doors and into the Great Hall where they expected the Dark Lord to be. They were correct in assuming he would be there, but what they saw there caused them to gasp.

Voldemort sat in the Headmaster's chair looking angrier than ever. His rage could be felt radiating off of him and sent a chill up the spine of his minions. He had not been ready for Dumbledore's final act. The blast had sent him flying through several walls and under a pile of debris. His face and arms had been completely burnt. If before he looked terrifying now he looked gruesome.

"My lord what has happened?" Bellatrix asked bowing at his feet.

"This was a final gift from Dumbledore before I ended his miserable life. It does not matter, he is dead and can no longer interfere. What news do you bring me?"

"We have done it my lord, we watched as he burned inside of his filthy muggle relative's home. Unfortunately he took seven of our numbers with him."

Voldemort smiled a sickening smile. "Impressive. I'll give him the respect, he died fighting like his father. What is better there is no one to stop us now. How are the campaigns going in the other countries?"

"Well my lord, you should be in control of the other ministries by tomorrow."

Voldemort laughed, "Excellent, now go out and kill some more in honor of the deaths of Dumbledore and Potter. Make sure the word gets out that the people's heroes are gone!"


	7. Chapter 7

It was nearing midnight according to his watch and he still hadn't left the cave

It was nearing midnight according to his watch and he still hadn't left the cave. The day had been draining and he was reluctant to Apparate with the possibility of being splinched. Luckily the barrier that had protected the cave had reappeared so he was able to light a small fire without drawing attention to his location.

He sat down on a large stone that was on the cave and sat lost in his thoughts. His body was telling him to rest, but his mind wasn't letting him. Walking over to Dumbledore's things, he pulled out his wand and began work on shrinking them down. It took quite awhile, but he figured it would be best to have it all prepared for the morning. He sank back down onto the chilly cave floor and pulled out the maps that he had brought with him. The first place he planned on stopping was at Mr. Bowler's home. He had no idea what the situation was like in the rest of England, let alone another continent. One advantage that he figured he had was that he was probably less recognizable in the United States.

The screams that he had heard earlier had finally died down and it was only dead silence that radiated from Hogsmeade. It had taken every bit of reasoning left in his body not to rush down and start fighting the Death Eaters. They had most likely killed Hermione, the Weasleys had been taken and were as good as dead and he could do nothing about it. Not yet he told himself, but someday soon they would all pay. That was his last thought before he fell into a fitful sleep.

XxXxXxXx

He groaned as he opened his eyes, realizing he had fallen asleep with his glasses still on. Some how they had ended up jammed into his face and he could feel the indentations left behind. Stretching out his stiff body he looked and saw the last remaining embers of his fire from the previous night. He grabbed his stomach as it rumbled from the lack of food. That was a significant problem at the moment because there was none around anywhere. Now that he was somewhat rested, he also wanted to have some food in his body before he tried to jump across the Atlantic. It only read five thirty on his watch and he doubted that the Death Eaters were morning people. Deciding to try his luck at getting into the castle and into the kitchen he packed up his things and grabbed the invisibility cloak.

Harry went back up to the entrance to cave and whispered, "Death to tyrants," effectively dissolving the barrier. Stepping out into the morning he was hit by the cool summer air for a second before the smell of death and burnt wood invaded his senses. It was hard to remain standing as the urge to be sick overwhelmed him. Steadying himself, he made his way back down towards the village. It took him a few extra minutes because the sun hadn't risen all the way and he wanted to make sure there was no one lurking around.

The sight that greeted him caused him to drop to one knee. The destruction was almost indescribable. Everything was gone, burnt to the ground. The Three Broomsticks, Madame Puddifoot's, and Zonko's all lay in ruins. There were bodies lying on the ground, but not many which led him to pray that most had been taken away and not burned alive in their homes.

He got up and continued walking with the difficult task of maneuvering around the debris. Stepping over the fallen sign from the Hog's Head he got his first good glimpse of the castle that had been his home for the past five years. The place was easy to see where Dumbledore had obviously made his last stand. He continued to stare at the castle until the first Death Eater came into his vision. There were two standing at the gates of the school and he could see a group of at least six wondering the grounds. That put to rest the ideas of walking through the front gate or using the entrance from the Shrieking Shack. The only option left was the passage from Honeyduke's.

Turning around he had to remember the layout of the village to find the remains of the sweet shop because there was no sign to distinguish it. It took him several passes, but he finally found what he was looking for. The top of the building was completely gone and had fallen into the cellar. Quickly casting a silencing charm around his body, he jumped down the eight feet into the ground without a sound even after landing awkwardly. His worse fear that the passage had caved in was proven wrong as he found the trap door still intact. Slowly lifting it up, he went down into the passage and closed the door. Lighting his wand he started his trip through the passage, hoping the little rat bastard Wormtail hadn't felt the need to share the secret of the Marauders. Fortunately he met no resistance on his way and made it to statue of the witch. Staying under his cloak he pulled out the Marauder's Map and quickly activated it. His earlier prediction about the Death Eaters not being morning people came true because the halls were completely empty. He was taking a giant risk coming into the castle he thought to himself as he saw the dot displaying the name Tom Riddle in one of spare rooms.

He muttered the password and the passage on the hump of the Witch's statue opened. Making his way towards the Hufflepuff common room and the kitchens he thankfully met no one. Knowing there weren't any humans in the kitchens; he tickled the pear in the portrait of the bowl of fruit and pulled the exposed handle. He stepped into the room, turning around to make sure the portrait closed. His cloak must have slipped off when he stepped through the entrance because when he turned around there were around a good dozen house elves in front of them, all brandishing kitchen cutlery.

"Get out Death Eater, you is not welcome," screamed the closest elf. They inched him closer and closer to the door until his back was flat up against it. To his relief he saw his favorite hyper little friend rushing up to his rescue.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! It is the great Harry Potter not a Death Eater!"

"Hello Dobby. I don't think you know how relieved I am to see you right now," Harry said as he knelt down to greet the diminutive elf after the others had backed off. Dobby ran straight forward and latched his body onto Harry's knee.

"Dobby is so happy to see you sir. Terrible things is happening in the castle. The great Professor Dumbledore has been murdered," Dobby screeched with tears in his eyes. Doing the only thing that came to his mind, he reached down patting him on the back trying to calm the elf down.

"I know Dobby, I know. I snuck into the castle to see if I could get some food before I left. The Death Eaters completely wiped out Hogsmeade and everyone's gone. Do you know if there are any prisoners in the castle?" He figured he should ask because even though he had the map, there were some places that didn't show.

"We is seeing them bring prisoners in sir, but they did not stay for long. All of them were taken away from the castle," one of the elves in the back answered.

"Why haven't the Death Eaters come after you yet? They must know that you're down here and they have to eat sometime."

"We is not letting them in Harry Potter sir. They has come down here sir, but we has used our magic to push them out," Dobby answered.

"Why do you stay here though? All of the teachers are gone," Harry stated.

"We are bound to the school sir. Well that is everyone besides the strange elf Dobby. We must stay in the castle, it is our duty," another elf said.

"Dobby since you're a free elf, why don't you come with me. I'll pay you whatever you want, but I'm on my way to America and than to Canada so that I can train to fight Voldemort. I could really use the company and someone to help me out if I need it. All of my other friends have been taken," Harry finished quietly.

"Dobby is so happy that the great Harry Potter considers him a friend. He would be very happy to come with you Harry Potter sir," Dobby exclaimed.

"That's good Dobby. I'll call for you once I get to wherever I'm going so just stay safe until then. Now do you think you could get me some food before I leav-." He didn't even get a chance to finish because all of the elves had rushed off and started preparing food.

An hour later Harry was just finishing up the mountain of food that the elves had prepared for him. He had packed up as much of it as he could carry and was preparing to make his way back out to Hogsmeade or what was left of the once prominent village. The problem now was that the Death Eaters had woken up and were roaming around the castle. Watching the map, he had seen Voldemort make his way out of the school and Apparate away after he had left the grounds. That was one problem out of the way unfortunately there were around forty other people in castle who would like to cause him harm.

He stood up from the small table he was seated at and lifted his now heavy bag onto his shoulder. Informing Dobby that he was leaving he was sent off through the portrait with all of the house elves wishing him luck. The trip back towards the secret passage went well with just the occasional need to stop for a Death Eater to pass. Checking the map once more to make sure no one was around he muttered a quick _Dissendium_ and slipped into the damp, dark passage. Finally making it back to the remains of Honeyduke's, he opened the trap door quickly and made his way through. Sitting down on the sturdiest piece of wood he could find he pulled out the map one last time so he could get a clear picture of the location he intended on going. With a clear image in his mind he gathered all of his energy, stepped forward and disappeared.

XxXxXxXx

The first thing that Harry did when he arrived in Washington D.C. was conjure an umbrella. He had somehow managed to Apparate himself into what felt like a small hurricane. He regretted not having on heavier clothing as the winds that were howling greatly lowered the temperature. It was amazing, he thought to himself, that he figured the weather would be much better where he was, but right now it was the same rainy hell that England usually tended to be. What he wouldn't give to be on a beach in the Caribbean. He looked around into the foreign territory and remember that is was much earlier in the morning in the States. Putting a quick hovering charm on his umbrella, he pushed back his sleeve and adjusted the hour hand on his watch back five hours. It was only three thirty in the morning and the only light given off around him was from the lamp posts. There were definitely houses around him, but he doubted he could find the one he was looking for in the current weather. While he was confident in his ability to Apparate, it was highly possible to end up somewhat off course when moving over long distances.

One thing that was going his way fortunately was the absence of any Death Eater and no signs of destruction anywhere. Though, he doubted whether even Death Eaters would do anything in this sort of weather. It seemed that everyone was avoiding the weather because there wasn't anyone out driving either. Making a quick decision he decided it would be best to come back sometime later in the day, hopefully when the storm had settled. Pulling another piece of parchment out of his bag he found the location to the home that he now owned in Maryland and Apparated away.

Dumbledore certainly hadn't been lying when he said that the house was in the country. The only thing Harry could see surrounding the house were thousands of trees and in the distance clearly visible farmland. He noticed that the weather was much better than his previous vacated location. It was dark, but the stars stood out and provided some light along with the shining full moon. Standing in front of him was a relatively large single story home. It looked old, but it was in pretty good shape for being abandoned for the past fifteen years at least. There were covered piles of what he could only guess was firewood next to a small wooden shed that looked like it had seen better days. He made his way up the to the house and walked up the steps which creaked with his added weight. On the front porch sat several old chairs and a table that looked like it would fall if anything was placed on it. Trying to open the door he wasn't surprised when he found it to be locked. He never got the chance to owl Gringotts to send him the keys to his properties, so he pulled out his wand and spelled the door open.

The first thing he saw when he opened the door was absolutely nothing because it was too dark. There obviously wasn't any electricity because he couldn't find any switches to turn on the lights. Lighting the end of his wand he searched until he found several candles and quickly lit them. Miraculously managing to maneuver his way in the dark he placed the candles around the entire main room until it was bright enough to get a clear view of the place. When he had found out that he had inherited homes from his parents he had been hoping that there would be something in them that would give him more insight into the lives of his mother and father. Unfortunately, looking around he noticed that there was really nothing to indicate that they had even been in the house. The room wasn't furnished luxuriously, but it still looked comfortable. There was a large fireplace across from the couch that he immediately lit. The extra light revealed the hallway that he guessed led to other rooms, but he didn't feel like exploring anymore at the moment. He needed to figure out what was happening and he needed to talk to Dumbledore's buddy. He sat down on the couch and propped his feet up on the small table in front of it. Letting his head fall back, the heat from the fire eventually lulled him to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

The moment that he awoke he promised himself that the next time he fell asleep he would do so appropriately in a bed. Sleeping on the floor of a stone cave and sitting upright on a couch had taken a toll on his body and he was starting to feel like an old man. It was almost ten so he figured he would head back to the capitol at around noon. His fire had died out, but the sunlight that was pouring into the room finally gave him a good view of his surroundings. The entire house had been crafted out of wood, of which kinds Harry had no idea. There were four windows spread throughout the main room, two of which were flanking the front door. Now that he could see better he noticed that there were a few oil lamps on the wall, which had been invisible in the darkness. There were deep red curtains around all of the windows that looked like they could use a good beating to rid them of several layers of dust.

Standing up from the couch, his curiosity won out and he decided to venture around the rest of the house. Straight across from the front entrance was another door way which he found led to a surprisingly large kitchen. What was more surprising was the presence of electronic appliance considering that the house had no electricity. The only thing he could guess was that his parents had charmed them to work off of magic. There was a huge kitchen sink embedded into the granite counter tops. Harry walked further in, flipping all of the cabinets open and finding them completely devoid of anything, not that he expected anything. Another door in the kitchen appeared to lead into the backyard of the house, but he decided to check that out another time.

Walking back into the main sitting room, he followed the hallway that was off to the right of the right side of the house. Walking down the hall he noticed a few pieces of artwork hanging on the walls, but no family pictures or anything of that sort. There were three doors along the hall and the first one he stepped into was a medium sized bathroom. Next to that room was a small bedroom with just a full size bed and dresser. Closing that door he moved to the one directly across from it. It was another bedroom, but much larger than the first. The bed was king sized and had a dark red comforter that went along with the curtains. There was another door which he guessed opened to another bathroom, but he didn't feel the need to check. The realization that he was standing in the room that his parents used to sleep was a lot to take in. He walked over and plopped down on the bed taking in the whole room. He tried to picture his parents walking around in the room, getting ready for the day, but it was almost impossible with pretty much no trace of their presence left. Thinking about it, it was hard to believe that his father would even ever come to a place like this. His father was a Marauder, a prankster who looked for adventure. The house was out in the middle of nowhere, civilization absent from view. The only reason that he probably did was because his mother wanted to. He chuckled at the idea of his mother probably having his father wrapped around her finger. He guessed that was what a guy did for the girl that he loved, not that he really had any experience with it. Harry had had one date in his life and that had been a complete fiasco.

Making the decision to stop his tour and do something productive before he drowned in his own self pity, he left the room and closed the door without taking a backward glance. With still an hour left before he meant to leave he went back into the main sitting room, took a seat on the couch, and pulled out the first book he came to. It turned out to be Dumbledore's journal and was the only one of his possessions that he had neglected to shrink down. It was leather bound and looked to be ancient. There was a small strap that kept it closed. On the front of the book written in perfect calligraphy, were the initials A.P.W.B.D.. Those were the same initials that had graced the now broken prophecy. Opening up the cover he was shocked and disappointed to find that the first page was blank. It turned out not to be just the first page either; paging through every single sheet he realized that wasn't a single word written in the whole book. Why would Dumbledore have left him an empty journal? He wouldn't, he answered his own question. Dumbledore never did anything without a reason. That's when the answer suddenly came to him. The problem was that it was hard to believe Dumbledore would do it. Dumbledore copying Tom Riddle was a hard notion to grasp. Reaching back into his bag, he pulled out a quill and dipped it into his container of ink. He though for a second and then touched the quill to the first page in the book.

_I have to say Professor, I never expected you to steal an idea from Tom Riddle. _After finishing his message, another one suddenly appeared on the page.

_**Ah, Harry, I knew you would catch on quick, but this fast is very impressive. As for copying from Tom Riddle, while both of us were able to communicate through a journal, we had slightly different methods of going about it. Riddle placed a piece of his soul into that journal which ended up in the hands of Ginny Weasley, which was how he was able to possess her, and almost take her life. My method, I must say, is much less dark. Wizards can leave a small part of themselves with the living community when they die. As you know some come back as ghost, while others come back as portraits. To become a portrait, you must perform a spell upon yourself before you actually die, or else you only have the option to become a ghost or to move on. Instead of placing the spell on the portrait that would have hung in the Headmaster's office, I placed it on this journal. **_

_Wow sir, I'm surprised no one has thought of doing that before._

_**Oh I'm sure they have Harry, but unlike you, not everybody figures out the purpose of a blank book that a deceased person leaves behind. There are probably a plethora of tomes lying around with small pieces of witches and wizards inside. So I have no idea what has happened since I passed on, would you care to update me on the current situation. **_

_I'm afraid it's not very good news sir. I think England has been completely taken out. I barely escaped Privet Drive and I'm pretty sure that the Death Eaters think that I'm dead. There bound to spread that news quickly. In fact the only people who know that I'm still alive are the Weasleys and the house elves in Hogwarts. They only got a glimpse of me though before there were taken away._

_**Would you care to enlighten me on your reason for entering Hogwarts Harry?**_

_I had to hide out in Sirius' cave last night because Hogsmeade was completely overrun and destroyed. Unfortunately I didn't plan ahead and pack food in my bag, so I took a chance and snuck into the kitchens. I used the secret passage that my Dad, Sirius, and Remus found while they were in school. All of the house elves refused to leave, except for Dobby who agreed to work for me once I get settled. I'm in Maryland right now Professor. I was planning on going to visit Mr. Bowler in a few minutes._

_**It's good to know you made it safely out of the country Harry. Just one request, please don't try to sneak back into Hogwarts when it's filled with Death Eaters and presumably Voldemort.**_

_I won't sir, at least not until I'm prepared. I guess I should get ready to leave. There's still the matter of trying to find where your friend lives._

_**Good luck Harry, I will talk with you whenever you need me.**_

_Goodbye sir._

Harry closed up the journal and placed it along with his writing materials back into his back.He didn't really plan on coming back to the house after he went to visit Mr. Bowler so he picked up his bag and invisibility cloak, locked the door to the house, and stepped out into the warm afternoon. He took a quick look back at the house he now owned and decided to test out his warding skill since the house had no magical protection. Taking out his wand he quickly put up a repelling ward against wizards and muggles. Then, just for fun, he added the stinging ward he had practiced on Dumbledore. Pleased with his work, he pictured his destination and Apparated away.

XxXxXxXx

The street he had been to earlier in the day looked much different in the light. It was Sunday, so he wasn't really surprised that there weren't many people out and about. On the left side of street there were rows of old, but expensive looking row houses. The other side held a row of various restaurants and other businesses. Harry walked up the left side of the street, looking for the correct house number. He wasn't wearing the invisibility cloak because he didn't see anyone around that looked suspicious. Finally finding the correct house, he walked up the front steps and loudly knocked on the door. It took around twenty seconds before he heard someone fumbling with the lock on the other side. He instinctively took one step back as the large door swung open and the man came into view. Dumbledore had been right; there wasn't a trace of a hair on any part of his head. The man obviously new what Harry was looking at because he was rewarded with a growl.

"Think it's funny do you boy? Why don't you leave before I knock upside your head?" The man went to swing the door closed, but Harry was faster and stuck his foot out to prevent it from shutting. "What the bloody hell do you think your doing? Did you not hear what I told you?" Harry saw something peeking out of the sleeve of the man's button down shirt and was almost positive; it was the tip of his wand.

"Listen sir, Mr. Bowler right?" The man nodded. "Right well my names Harry Potter, and Albus Dumbledore told me to come and see you when I got to America," Harry explained.

"I see the scar lad, but how do I know that you're not a Death Eater using polyjuice?"

"Dumbledore told me to tell you that you should never lose sight of the quaffle. He also wanted me to remind you of how ironic it is that your last name is Bowler and that your head also resembles a bowling ball," Harry stated doing his best to refrain from grinning. He watched the man for a reaction and for a second looked like he was about to explode in anger, but then just snorted and shook his head.

"Of course that crazy old man would remind me of that, like I haven't heard it a million times before. It's not my fault I can't re grow my hair. Well, you better come in lad; don't want you outdoors where somebody could find you." Harry followed him in as he led him into the house. Looking around the house Harry noticed it had that Dursley cleanliness to it, but did look somewhat lived in. The floors were well polished and everything looked expensive. There was a mix between wizard photos and regular muggle photos around the house. There was a large television in the living room, along with lots of expensive audio equipment. Mr. Bowler pointed to the couch and Harry took a seat. Bowler went over and took a seat in a leather recliner. Now that he had a good chance to look, Harry found it hard to believe that this man had been in school with Dumbledore. He looked nowhere as old as he did, and moved around rather spryly. He was wearing a pair of khakis with his navy button down shirt and was sporting a pair of slippers. Bowler was about the same height as him and his face gave him the look of someone not to mess around with.

"So, how is my old friend Albus? I reckon he has his hands full with the situation in England."

Harry felt himself cringe inside. He fought himself for a second trying to get the words out. "I'm sorry sir, but Professor Dumbledore was killed yesterday fighting Voldemort at Hogwarts. I'm also pretty sure that all of England has fallen to the Death Eaters. That's the reason I'm here now."

Mr. Bowler's face revealed complete shock. The wrinkles on his ancient face became more pronounced and he started to rub his hand over the top of his head as if still had hair to smooth down. He leaned back in the chair as far as would go and sighed loudly. "It's hard to believe he's actually gone. We were the last two members of our graduation class from Hogwarts still living. Living as long as we have isn't exactly the norm in the Wizarding world you know?" Bowler chuckled, "Not really surprising that he went out fighting, he was doing that most of his life, defending the world against the evils that inhabited it." He stood up from his recliner and went over to a small table that had a cabinet inside of it. Opening the door he pulled out a large bottle of brandy, and instead of taking the time to grab a glass, he simply brought the bottle to his lips. Taking a huge drink he turned back to Harry, "Whatever you do lad, don't take up drinking. It really doesn't help much and you feel much worse afterwards." He put the bottle back into the cabinet and took a seat in his chair again. "So what can I do to help you Mr. Potter?"

"Well, mostly I just need to know what's going on here, on this side of the ocean. I'm going north to train to fight Voldemort, but I need to know how freely I can move about and the type of threat I'm likely to come up against. I figured since you live hear you might have some information that could be useful."

"Oh I have information, but I doubt you're going to like what you hear. You have to understand that in the United States, the existence of wizards and witches is well known by many a muggle, mainly the government," Bowler finished distastefully.

"How do you manage to find out what the government knows?" Harry inquired.

"Please, the only people who have a real say as to what goes on in the government are the ones with money. You don't actually even have be a member of the government to get things to go your way. Pass some currency to the right people and you get what you want. Well, I've acquired quite a bit of money over my many years so I was able to get invited to all the big fancy government parties. I would go and find out the happenings and than report to Albus on the state of things here. The last one I went to was the most disturbing. Apparently Voldemort came to visit at some point spouting off about how he was taking over power. He offered the muggles a deal it seems."

"You've got to be joking right? Voldemort actually made a deal with the muggles?"

"Sorry lad, but it's no joke. Voldemort may be pure evil, but he's not stupid. He knows if he goes directly after the muggles here, the government will unleash the full wrath of its military. You can believe it too, the president's rather trigger happy, and it's not exactly easy for a wizard to stop a bullet. They agreed to let the Death Eaters roam around freely as long they only went after the disloyal wizards along with the muggleborns and their families. Dumbest effing thing I've ever heard of if I do say so myself; frightening as well."

Harry was having a hard time digesting what he was hearing. The government was selling its own people out just because they were wizards and witches. "What about the ministry here, I'm sure they must know what's going to happen."

"Too late for that, Voldemort has already taken it. He's got thousands of supporters over here. There already spread throughout the whole country so you'll have to be careful wherever you go. I can guarantee that at some point Voldemort made sure all of his followers were familiar with your picture."

"As long as I don't advertise myself I should be alright, I think Voldemort believes me to be dead right now."

"Well that's something," Bowler laughed dryly.

"Yeah that's something," Harry repeated quietly and put his head in his hands. "I just can't believe that they actually made a deal with Voldemort. The same thing is going to happen here like it has in England. Once he gets enough followers to infiltrate the government and military he'll go after the muggles too. His goal isn't partial control, it's total control."

"It's going to be bad no doubt. Now can you tell me where you intend on going or would you rather not? No bad feelings if you don't."

"Like I said, I'm going north to train, but I'd rather not give you a more specific location. That way they don't have a reason to come after you."

"I thank you for that lad. Now why don't I go fix us something to eat before you decide to head out?" Harry agreed and followed him into the kitchen.

XxXxXxXx

Lord Voldemort walked into the cavern where he had decided to place his prisoners. He was surrounded by a group of his upper level followers who he trusted the most. This was a glorious day indeed. At first he had ordered his Death Eaters to inform the people about the death of their saviors, but he decided he would like to see their faces in person when their hope was ripped away. He was wearing his darkest cloak with his hood casting a shadow over his face. The only thing that was clearly visible was his haunting crimson eyes. He did not want to show the people that he had been injured, that would only show weakness and encourage them. He acknowledged the guards as he passed them and finally came to the main chamber where thousands of his prisoners now permanently resided. It was like a drug to him taking in the fear that was resonating off of all the people. He cast a charm on himself to project his voice and stared into the crowd.

"I would like to like welcome you all to your own personal hell where you will remain for as long as I see fit. Most of you will die; others may eventually lose their will and join my services. If you see fit to act unruly I have given my followers permission to have fun with you as they see fit. I am clearly on my way to taking control and removing the scum, such as you, from existence. It is with great, great pleasure that I am able to let you know that you are alone now. There is no longer anyone to save you. Your saviors are no more. Yesterday will be remembered for all eternity as the day that Lord Voldemort saw to the deaths of the mighty Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter!"

Voldemort turned on his heel and laughed out as he listened to the cries of anguish from his prisoners.


	9. Chapter 9

After finishing the lunch that Mr. Bowler had thrown together, they settled back into the living room.

"How about something to drink, Mr. Potter? I'm afraid I've somewhat betrayed my roots and become rather partial to coffee instead of tea, but I do have some if you would like it," Bowler said retrieving his wand out of his pocket.

"Tea would be fine thank you," Harry responded. Bowler wordlessly waved his wand and a platter with a cup of tea and coffee appeared on it. He then went back over to the liquor cabinet and pulled a different bottle then from before. He opened it and poured a generous amount into the cup of coffee. "I thought you told me not to drink, yet I've seen you do it quite frequently since I've been here."

Bowler gave a bark of laugh and Harry was sure that had any eyebrows been present, at least one would have been raised at him. "Lad, once you get to be as old as I am, things like drinking don't matter much. I doubt I have a liver anymore; the only reason I'm still alive is I have magic running through my veins. Should have been more like Albus and kept myself in shape. I swear to Merlin that man could have run a marathon even in his old age."

"Maybe," Harry added, "but not the last time I saw him. If you're well informed you probably know about everything that happened at the Ministry earlier this summer. I saw him duel Voldemort and it took a lot out of him just to make it a draw. It most likely would have kept going if the aurors hadn't shown up. He didn't look his best either when he was training me all of last week. I don't understand why he didn't just leave though. If he knew he couldn't win, why not escape?"

"Ah, Albus was never one to back down from a challenge no matter how large the actual threat. He may have died, but he did it on his terms, fighting for the people. There's no better way to go. Not that I plan on going that way. I'm afraid my fighting days are over."

"If you don't mind me asking, what type of work did you do?"

"I think the appropriate question is what type of work didn't I do? Well, after Hogwarts I went and trained to be an auror. I opted to stay and help train instead of doing field work. Did that for many years than retired and went to work for a potions company. That was where my unfortunate hair loss incident that Albus was so fond of occurred. After that, I opened a bar in muggle London for a while, then once I had enough of that, I came to the U.S. I've been doing absolutely nothing ever since, besides the occasional work for Albus of course."

"Never got married I assume?" Harry inquired curiously.

"Oh I was married alright, many times in fact. Problem was I never stayed married very long. How bout you lad, got anyone special?"

"I wish. I've never really had the time to look for a girl, and the one date I went on ended with the girl crying and running out on me. I'm pretty sure my life is doomed to being alone and fighting for my survival."

Taking a sip of his coffee, Bowler laughed then answered, "Don't worry too much lad, you'll find someone and they'll probably come out of nowhere. Now why-."

BOOM!

Harry nearly fell out of his seat as the vibrations from the explosion hit him. He covered his ears and pressed down hard trying to stop the ringing. Quickly realizing the explosion had occurred somewhere else and not in his current location, he rushed out to the window by the front door. What he saw was definitely not a welcoming sight. There were a group of four men in black cloaks, obviously Death Eaters, and they had blown the front of another house completely off. There was a clear view into the house and visible were a man and women hiding underneath a table with their wands pointed out straight in front of them.

Harry jumped when he felt a hand touch his shoulder, but relaxed when he saw it was Mr. Bowler. "That there is the Wallace family. I told them to get out of town, but they refused to leave and only sent their children away. Damn fools were more concerned about their property than their lives now look where that's gotten them." Just as Bowler finished speaking two of the Death Eaters made their way into the Wallace's home and quickly disarmed the inhabitants.

"Shouldn't we help them?" Harry asked desperately from lack of being useful.

"That's not a wise idea lad. You may see only four Death Eaters, but there are most definitely more scattered about the street. Even those evil bastards know there's more strength in numbers." Harry listened to his explanation, but as soon as he saw the Death Eaters stun the Wallace's and drag each of them out by one of their limbs, he put his back against the wall and slid to the floor. It had happened again. He had to watch as people were terrorized and done nothing to stop it. He needed to start training and he needed to start right away since he had no idea how long it would take.

"Not to be a bad host or rush you out or anything, but I think it would be best if you made your way to wherever you plan on going. I don't have any wards up on the house so they could Apparate in anytime they wanted to. If they saw us both here I assure we would both be dead," Bowler explained from his spot near the window.

Harry nodded and slowly pulled himself off of the cold floor. He went and retrieved his things from where he had left them by the couch and made his way back over to Mr. Bowler.

"What about you, won't they come here looking for you?" Harry asked him concernedly.

"Don't worry about me lad. I'm fine until the time when they start coming after the muggles. That's the reason I don't have any wards up, to make them think this is just a normal muggle home. Now go on and get out of here and keep your self safe," Bowler demanded holding his hand out for Harry to shake. Harry firmly grasped his hand nodded his thanks for the hospitality and left on his way to his next destination.

XxXxXxXx

Appearing out of nowhere, Harry stumbled a bit trying to get his footing. After gaining his balance he instantly felt like every particle of oxygen had been stripped from his body. The cold was unbelievable and his body immediately responded by shivering and trying to stay warm. All of his winter clothing was shrunk and packed away in his bag, not that he had much of it. He thought this would probably be an enormous problem considering it was the middle of summer and the temperatures were well below freezing. It wasn't snowing, but every surface around him looked like it had a fine layer of frost on it. The ground beneath him was hard as a rock and with each step he took on the frozen grass there was a loud crunch.

He was extremely relieved he had arrived safely, but he silently cursed his relatives for not picking a safe house somewhere in the Bahamas, right on the beach. Wrapping his arms tightly around his body, gathering as much body heat as possible, he started walking around. Surveying his surroundings, he didn't see any signs of civilization, not that it really surprised him all that much. There were plenty of trees, but they were mostly scattered and not in dense groups. He hoped that would make it easier to find this cave he was looking for.

After walking around for about an hour without any luck, he found a fallen tree and took a seat on the trunk. Laying his bag on the ground he stretched his legs straight out, trying to lessen the aches in his calves and feet. His whole body felt drained after walking around in the frigid temperatures without resting. He had to fight against his body's urges and resist falling asleep because he was pretty sure he would freeze to death and not wake up. Staring up into the sky he was startled when he saw a white blur rocketing towards him. He began to pull his wand, but relaxed when he recognized Hedwig. She pulled out of her dive and with as much grace as she could muster landed on Harry's outstretched arm. Harry smiled at Hedwig, but the smile quickly disappeared when he noticed his beloved owl was glaring at him with her piercing eyes.

Gently reached up a rubbing her wing Harry asked, "What's wrong with you?" The owl simply turned her head and looked away. "Is this because I took up and left without letting you know where I was going?" Again she just remained with her head turned. "Look, I'm sorry girl, but I was attacked by Death Eaters and didn't have a choice. I sent Fawkes after you right away, didn't I? Don't worry about it because we're going to be spending a lot of time together considering I really don't have anyone left for you to deliver letters to," he finished sadly. Noting the sadness in her master's voice, Hedwig gently leaned her head towards Harry and nuzzled his neck causing him to laugh. "I guess I'm forgiven then." The owl hooted in affirmation. "Alright, well enough lounging around, let's go find this bloody cave."

Harry continued on in his exploration with Hedwig choosing to fly overhead. After another half hour of searching, the coldness had almost left him devoid of hope until he found something that captured his attention. As he had noticed before most of the trees in the forest were scattered about, but what he saw in front of him looked completely unnatural. There was a huge clump of trees in perfect lines to the left of him and an exact replica of them on his right side. Each clump of trees went on for miles and looked like some sort of natural defensive wall. In the middle of the group of trees was a perfectly straight path. His hope was restored when he realized that this was probably what he was looking for. He started to make his way down the path, looking to the left and right it was impossible to see anything through the thickness of the trees. The only light that shown through was that coming from straight above and it miraculously lit the path ahead of him and elicited a strange feeling in him. It was really a feeling of amazement knowing that he was walking the same path that his family had walked and most likely created. He had never known anything of his family and this was something that represented his heritage.

He continued walking for about another half a mile and that was when he reached his target. There was a large stone that blocked the path and he guessed this was where he needed to deposit his blood. He approached the stone wall and ran his hands over it checking for any sort of indentation that indicated where he was supposed to put it. He felt around for a few minutes before his eyes located something engraved into the stone. It was hard to make out at first because it was somewhat worn, but getting closer he could see very ornate engraved letter P. He pulled out his wand and quickly opened a small cut on his forearm. Spreading some of the crimson liquid on his fingers he carefully pressed it onto the P.

Harry wiped the excess blood off of his fingers and stepped back waiting for some type of response. After a few seconds he started to worry that he was actually adopted because there had been no response from the barrier. After an agonizingly long wait, the blood on the stone wall started to absorb into the engraving. With a bright flash of light, the carved P began glowing red. The light pulsed several times and then part of the wall melted away into a semi circular opening. It was pitch black inside so Harry had absolutely no idea what he was walking into. Remembering Hedwig, he called her down and she landed back on her familiar spot on his shoulder. Lighting the tip of his wand he took a step into the entrance only to have the light extinguish. Thinking this was odd, he stepped back out and his wand lighted up once again. He once again stepped into the entrance and the light went out. Figuring he didn't have much of a choice, he continued walking slowly into the cave. It was frustrating to no end having no idea where he was going or what he was looking for. Once he had gained some confidence walking around in the darkness, he quickened his pace somewhat then instantly regretted it. He took a step forwards and realized that there was nothing under his foot, but air. Unfortunately with his bag on his back and Hedwig on his shoulder his momentum carried him forward and he fell. Hedwig immediately jumped off and took flight while he continued to plummet downwards. He closed his eyes and started to pray as he prepared for the inevitable crash. It never came.


	10. Chapter 10

What in the bloody hell just happened? One second he was plummeting to his inevitable demise and then his body just stopped. He looked down and realized his feet were standing on something. Whatever it was wasn't visible, but he could definitely feel it. It felt like it was an enormous piece of rubber because when he took a step forward the barrier sunk down several inches. He pulled his wand out and hoped that he was able to perform magic again. Thinking the incantation quickly the tip of his wand lit and he was relieved to see solid ground about four feet below him. The only problem now was trying to get down, but that puzzle was quickly solved because as soon as he thought it the barrier left and he fell the remaining distance landing with a thud on his back.

He couldn't hold in the groan that escaped his lips as he felt the ache in his back. Opening his eyes which he had closed before making impact he saw the form of his owl soaring down towards him and gently landing on his abdomen. It was hard to read the emotions on an owl, but if Harry guessed he could have sworn Hedwig had an amused expression across her face. "I don't know what you think is funny you bloody bird, I saw you take off like a coward when I was falling to my death. It's good to know you have my back. Maybe I should keep Fawkes with me all the time." The amused expression quickly fled the owl's face and she pecked him in the stomach hard enough to leave a cut and draw blood. "Alright, alright I was only joking! But if we were in that situation again and I was the one with the wings I would have at least tried to catch you." Hedwig simply hooted and took flight again.

Harry gingerly sat up, his lit wand still in his hand. He got back to his feet and used his free hand to dust of the back of his pants. He used his wand to search out wherever he was supposed to go and he found what he was looking for in the form of a large, maroon curtain. Slowly walking over to the curtain grasping at one side where the two parts met in the middle. The fabric was extremely thick and in remarkable condition for being so old. Preparing himself for what lie ahead, he steeled his resolve and stepped through the curtain. As soon he stepped through the passage he was forced to cower back and shield his eyes. An extreme array of lights had hit him dead on and the large contrast with his previous dark surroundings made it feel like he had been staring directly into the fiery depths of the sun. Rubbing at his watering eyes, he opened them gradually, trying to get them to adjust to the light. That's when he got his first glimpse at his new residence. To say it was magnificent was an understatement. Harry didn't know what he had been expected, but this was unbelievable. The main room was probably the same size of the Great Hall in Hogwarts and there were archways which he guessed led to more. He had expected the walls to be all dirt since they were underground, but they were covered with intricately laid grey stone. There were several tapestries hanging from the walls, some depicting what looked like epic battles and others that might have been his ancestors. There were several large couches spread across the room that looked extremely comfortable, along with a few single chairs. A large, what looked like mahogany, dining table stood close to one of the corners of the room and it looked to be able to hold around ten people. There were golden plates and goblet atop the table, each adorned with that calligraphic P that had been on the entrance to the cave. He looked down at the floor and realized in was all perfectly polished wood. There were several rugs spread across the room, mostly around the furniture, all of them maroon trimmed with gold. He walked further into the room and noticed the source of light was the many oil lamps spread throughout the room and the single large fire place that was embedded into the farthest wall. What was strange was how the fire was already burning along with all the lamps. He would have to figure out a way to extinguish them at some point, although the crackling fire was providing some much needed warmth. After lingering for a few minutes in front of the fire to thaw his body which was still experiencing the effects of the outside cold, he walked towards the first archway that he came to.

It was clear that this was the kitchen, but everything seemed to be pretty out dated. There was somehow a sink which meant there was some type of plumbing system, but there was also a stove that ran off of burning wood. There were several stone counters to work on and also another smaller kitchen table. A smaller opening looked like it lead to a pantry, but he decided he would check on that later. Walking back out of the first archway he moved to the next one. The sight that met him would have made Hermione the happiest person in the world. Trying to ignore the sadness at the though of his best friend he looked at the many shelves full of volumes of literature and massive tomes. There were several ladders that moved along the shelves to allow access to the higher reading materials. He looked along the shelves and saw that the books had been carefully sorted into subjects such as Dueling, Transfiguration, and Potions and Alchemy. The books started at beginners level and progressed up to advanced and mastery. There were several large plush chairs in the room along with several tables to work at. This room wasn't lit with the same oil lamps as the main room, but with a pair of hanging chandeliers holding lit candles. In between two of the bookcases was a large glass case that contained a good amount of swords and daggers along with several antique wands. Walking closer he was able to read the name plates that told of who the weapons had belonged to. Seeing the names made him wonder if there were any books on his ancestry or if there was a tapestry like the one that the Blacks had at Grimmauld Place. Deciding that he had spent enough time in the library he made his way towards the next room.

Immediately upon setting eyes on the room he let out a contented sigh. There right in front of his eyes was the thing that he had been waiting for; a luxurious king sized bed. He didn't waste any time, dropping his bag onto the ground, not even paying attention to the various other features of the room, he sank down onto the bed and was asleep within a few seconds.

When he woke a few short hours later in took a few moments for him to recall where he currently was. He was awake, but his body didn't want to move from its current relaxed position. Staring up at the ceiling of the room he noticed another large symbol carved into the rock. He would have expected it to be like the other ones that were prominent in the shelter, but this one was different. Instead of the ornate P, there was a face, no, more of mask with two holes for they eyes which were wide likes those of an owl's and next to mask, on one side was a stick that could only be a wand and on the other was sword. Harry felt like he was being drawn towards it and couldn't help but keep his eyes fixed on its presence. Fighting the strong urge to continue staring he slowly sat up at the end of bed and viewed the room in its entirety. There was what looked like a walk in closet, and next to that a large armoire. An enormous mirror hung on one wall, and next to that led to a bathroom. Since there had been a sink in the kitchen he guessed there must working plumbing in the bathroom as well which was good because he didn't think it would be easy to just leave every time he needed to shower. Walking into the bathroom he was very interested when he saw the style of the bath. It was dug straight into the ground much like an in ground swimming pool and had stair to descend into it. Instead of just one nozzle for the shower that usually sprayed at an angle there were four that hung straight down from the ceiling. While it looked inviting, he only prayed that there was an abundance of hot water. The next thing that he went through was the closet, which was overflowing with various forms of garments. Some of it was old fashioned muggle clothing, but there were also many expensive, regal looking robes. On the floor there were women's and men's dress shoes along with a few pairs of dragon hide boots. The whole of the contents in the closet itself were probably worth a few million galleons.

The fire was still burning strong when he went back into the main room, carrying Dumbledore's journal with him along with a quill and ink. Opening the book he started writing.

_Hello Professor._

_**Ah, hello again Harry. How are things going?**_

_As well as can be expected sir. I went to see your friend and he updated me on what's going on, but I had to leave quickly because Death Eaters showed up._

_**And how is Albert doing?**_

_He's still hiding out as a muggle so he seems to be safe for now. I'm still in shock that Voldemort has been dealing with the muggles, even if it's only the ones in the United States._

_**Yes, well they will learn never to make a deal with Tom Riddle after he betrays them. Unfortunately there is nothing that you can do about it so you should just focus on your training. Where are you now?**_

_I made it to my family's shelter sir and I have to say it's quite impressive. The only problem is I don't know anything about it and how everything works. I wanted to know if you had any idea about this place or if there would be some type of book or guide that my family had made._

_**I'm sorry to disappoint you Harry, but I do not know much about it. Although I am sure there is a manuscript somewhere there that contains all the information you are seeking. Your ancestors would have been sure to leave instructions in the event the information could not be passed down by word, as in your case.**_

_I__guess I should start looking then. Thank you sir, I'll speak to you later._

_**Anytime Harry.**_

Harry closed the journal and sat it on one of the end tables next to the couch. So now he needed to find this book so he could have control over his new home. It also suddenly came to him that he needed to find some way to get food. Well he had a certain little friend who might be able to aid him with that.

"Dobby!" Out of nowhere the anxious house elf appeared.

"Hello Harry Potter sir! Dobby thought you had forgotten him."

Harry couldn't hold back the laugh after hearing that comment. "Dobby there is no possible way that I would be able to forget you even if I wanted to. I have you to thank for my first ever flying car ride." He stopped laughing a little when he saw the miniscule elf blush. "Don't worry about it Dobby, but I do have something that I'm going to need some help with."

"Of course Harry Potter sir, anything you is needing," the elf stated as he bowed.

"There's no need to bow Dobby. Well, I need to stock this place with food, but I can't really leave here and risk being seen or caught. Since you're working here and are going to be in charge of the cooking I thought you would be able to find a food market somewhere to pick up supplies. The only catch is that you're going to have to find the closest magical village because you can't go into a muggle store. You also can't go shopping back in England because you may be recognized by a Death Eater who is close with the Malfoys. Even if the villages nearby are under Death Eater control, they'll just think you're picking up things for a pure blood family so you should be safe. I'll give you plenty of gold so don't worry about that."

"Yes Harry Potter sir, Dobby will do as you ask and be back quickly."

"Just be careful Dobby." Harry went back into the main bedroom and retrieved a bag of galleons out of his duffle bag. He came out and handed it to Dobby and the elf disappeared to perform his task.

Now he decided he was going to find this book with the instructions for the structure he was now living in. Thinking logically, if he was looking for a book it would most likely be residing in the library. Walking in he began to scour the shelves for his target, but wasn't having much luck. While he was searching, he decided to start pulling out books that looked like they would be helpful to his training. He pulled books on more proficient wand movements, healing, increasing magical power, and fire magic. Those were where he was going to start along with the books that Dumbledore left him. The only problem now was that he still couldn't find the book he was searching for. It wasn't in the library and he hadn't seen any signs of books in the kitchen or bedroom which meant it must be in one of the rooms he hadn't investigated yet.

There were only two more rooms left to look into and the first one turned out to be just another bedroom. It was a tiny bit smaller than the master bedroom, but still had a bathroom attached to it. This room was decorated completely in gold and didn't have the symbol over the bed like the other room. With one more look at the spare bedroom he made his way to the last unexplored area. The room definitely had promise in his search for the book because it looked to be a study or a lounge. There was one gigantic desk in the room with a high back chair behind it. The top of the desk was very well organized and had several gadgets on top that Harry had never seen, not even like the ones that were in Dumbledore's office. There were pure gold quills standing in a holder next to an ink well and several extremely old looking pieces of parchment. Behind the desk was a golden perch for a bird, and most likely Hedwig's new resting place. On the left side of the room was a small couch and table, but on the right side is where Harry discovered what he wanted. The only problem was that it looked like the book was glued to the wall. He walked over to where the book was fastened and read the cover.

**Secrets of the House of Potter**

**May Only Be Opened by Head of House**

Knowing he was the last of his line, Harry went over and grasped the book on each side. Giving a soft tug and then growing into a strong pull, he tried to pry the book off of the wall, but wasn't very successful. He tried twice more to retrieve the book, but was met with the same luck. Deciding to just try and read the book from its position on the wall, he tried opening the crimson cover and again was met with a negative response. Sighing in frustration he put a hand on the wall on each side of the book and leaned in, trying to think of something else. It turned out no more thinking was required because as he placed the last of his weight against the wall, the book glowed and fell. Using his seeker reflexes, Harry quickly let go of the wall and caught the book in his right hand before it could hit the ground. The book was quite thick and heavy to hold so he took it over and sat it on the large desk. Harry went over and slowly pulled out the high back chair behind the desk and took a seat. He sensed a great feeling of power when he leaned back in the chair. This was his chair now, he was the head of his family, even if it was nonexistent. Oh well, he thought, he would just have to rectify that after he finished with the nuisance that was Lord Voldemort. Getting back to his original purpose, he pulled the book in front of him. Unlike the first time he tried to open it, this time he met no resistance.


	11. Chapter 11

As Harry pulled open the cover he realized that the first page was blank. For a second he wondered if the book may have been charmed the same way that Dumbledore had managed, but as he turned one more page he saw the first sign of writing. Although it actually wasn't really writing, it was a drawing. It was a drawing of that same symbol that was carved into the ceiling in the master bedroom. This one was drawn with a circle around it and sort of looked like some sort of official crest. Could it be his family crest? He turned to the next page and this is where the writing began.

_To the heir,_

_This book has been started in order to divulge all of the knowledge and teachings acquired by the Potter family. I am the second Lord Potter as my father was the first. It is the intent that this manuscript be passed down through time and added to by the current heir. My father was one of the first of our kind, and was a magnificent innovator of magic. He was a most powerful wizard and did his best to teach others his techniques. Unfortunately this was to be his undoing as one of his pupils struck him down. Thus I have learned that the hunger for power can be too great and have decided to keep the Potter secrets within the family. It may be taught within the family, but nowhere else. _

_Unfortunately, this brings up the issue of corruption within the family. While I pray to the gods above that it never comes to pass, enchantments have been placed on the book to ensure that the reader is pure of heart and will not lust for the power that lies within the pages. Once you have received or recovered the book you must replace the charm, which will be described in my later entries. You may pass the book directly to your eldest heir or leave it for them to discover upon your death. In the event that eldest heir leaves this Earth before you, or in the event that they are without magic, then the knowledge is to be passed to the next male Potter heir._

_I think that this will suffice as enough of an introduction, and now I will begin to put my knowledge down into text. I wish you luck in your endeavors and continued prosperity to our family._

_Lord Calvert Potter_

Harry sat back in his chair and thought over the page that had been written by one of his first ancestors. He was extremely intrigued and wondered how old the writing was, but unfortunately no date had been included. Rereading the page he now realized what that whole book being stuck to wall thing had been about. It was the test to be able to receive the book and apparently he had passed. There was some surprise that he had easily passed because he actually wanted power to defeat Lord Voldemort, but it must not have been what Calvert Potter would describe as lusting. It was disturbing reading about the way his first ancestor had perished, but it appeared that it was a trend. After all, it was Tom Riddle who killed his former professor Albus Dumbledore. Now that he knew what the book was about though, he was ready to really start learning. Turning to the next page he saw a shield drawn above the writing.

_I felt that the first subject that I should place in writing was the art of defense. Unfortunately now there is great conflict in our cities. The non magic users have started to spread lies about us and are denouncing us through their religious practices. There has been increased violence against us and it is not only them. The prominent magic users have been in a deadly struggle for power. It has come close to a war, but we, the Potters and many other magical families, have tried to fade out of the attention. One of these factions is led by the man who struck down my father, and while I hunger for retribution, I feel it is not what is best for the future of the family. My father was a leading public figure and it resulted in catastrophe. The Potter's will function as their own force until there is some type of structure within the world of the wielders of magic. Now that I have finished my rant, we come back to the techniques required to properly defend and protect your own self and others. The most significant problem to be faced with defensive magic is the diminishing of stamina. In the body of a magic user there are two branches of stamina. They include magical and physical stamina. When any type of magic is performed it draws the energy required from the magical stamina of the person. The problem arises when the magical energy has been expended. For some the energy replenishes so quickly that there is no problem, but even some magic requires copious amounts. Once the magical stamina has been expended, the magic in the body begins to act as of a parasite and feeds off of the physical stamina. While the only harm that may result from the usage of magical stamina is an inability to perform, the lessening of physical stamina can have dire consequences. That is why the first exercise that I recommend performing is one to test the boundaries of your body. For this exercise, begin with placing a spell to reflect another spell onto a solid wall. From there, throw a spell that carries the intent of harm at the wall and wait for it to be reflected back at your own body. Before it is able to strike though, pull up a basic shield to block it away. Continue with this until you can feel the draining on your physical self instead of your magic._

Well, Harry thought, this is what he wanted, to start his training. He pulled out his wand and found an empty piece of wall. Placing a quick mirror charm on the wall, he tried to decide on what spell to throw. It wouldn't be smart to use a stunner incase his shield faltered. He didn't want to be out cold for who knows how long before the spell had wore off. Thinking that a stinging hex would work perfectly, he positioned himself directly in front of the piece of wall he had chosen and cast the hex towards it. Underestimating the speed of his spell almost cost him as the spell ricocheted off the wall and sped towards him. He raised his wand just in time and sent the spell away with his conjured shield. He continued throwing the hex and then deflecting for around ten minutes before he finally started to feel a drain on his body. Unfortunately he stopped at the wrong time, right after he had thrown the hex, and didn't bring up a shield. He ended up on the floor clutching his stomach where the spell had made contact. Harry had to sit on the floor for several minutes to try and fight the urge to vomit. Composing himself somewhat, he walked back over to the desk and took a seat in front of the book.

_Continuing this exercise will help to build up your magical stamina, and allow you to go longer periods performing magic without effect to the body. Now as to first type of defensive spell, it may also act offensive. This type of shield effectively splits the incoming spell in half and reflects it back towards the caster and any other threats that may be around. This take a significant amount of concentration as a mistake could split the spell and send it to your rear, in the process taking out your own allies. This technique may work with any type of shield, but the key is in the wand, or hand in the case of wandless practices, movement. Once the shield has been erected, right before the impact of the incoming spell, start with the wand pointing towards the heavens, and then quickly turn the wand parallel with the ground. It does not sound challenging, but timing is of the utmost importance for it to have positive results. Now the next technique is one that must only be performed while outdoors in nature, and not in any type of dwelling because of risk to the building structure. This technique effectively pulls up the ground in front of you and creates a wall of earth. The size of the wall is entirely up to the amount of power of the magic wielder. The advantageous part of this technique is that once the wall has been erected it will stay in place, and the magic wielder is not required to keep using their magic to hold it. If you are leading a large force against an equally large opponent, having the entire front line bring up this wall will protect the entire force from an initial barrage of attack. To perform this technique, the wand must be pointed towards the target, the earth, and then the word "exorior" must be said or thought to complete the process. Hold the spell until the wall reaches the desired height. Now those are two shields that aren't known to anyone, but our family, at least for now. There are many others, but those should be widely available in other readings. Now one last practice that is more of an escape measure than a shield, it involves the art of Apartation, but with somewhat of a variation. In this process you Apparate, but you don't focus on another destination. Instead of going to some other location, you will disappear for several seconds, just enough for an incoming attack to pass, and end up back in the same location. Another advantage of this is that your opponent will most likely think that you have Appartated somewhere else and turn their attention away. Again, the only downside with this is that it goes against the accepted principles of Apparation, in which there must be a separate destination. In effect, you are going against the law and it requires much more power to perform._

Harry looked back up from the book and tried to digest everything that he had read. Even if he had gotten better, he still wasn't anything like Hermione when it came to learning from books. He could definitely try the first shield, but the second he would have to do outside and for the escape technique, he still wasn't sure if he could Apparate within the shelter. That information was probably somewhere in the book, but one thing that he could be described as was impulsive, so he figured he would just give it a shot. Leaving the book where it was, he went back out into the main room with the intent of having more room to work. The first shield he figured would be easier so he decided to go with that one first. He found another empty strip of wall and placed another mirror charm on it. Remembering how quick the spell came back at him in his office he took several extra steps backwards. Deciding to do a tickling hex this time in stead of one that could cause any type of pain, he threw it straight at the wall. He noticed this one didn't come quite as quick as the stinging hex, so he readied himself, brought up a quick shield, but somewhat misjudged the timing and turned his wand a little late. It effectively deflected the attack, but unfortunately, instead of splitting it and sending it forwards, it went behind him and one of the pair of spells hit a lamp. Harry cringed as he heard the lamp smash and glass litter the floor. He looked back to make sure nothing else had been damaged and that nothing had caught fire and was relieved to see everything else was fine. Turning back towards the wall, he got ready once again and threw the tickling hex. This time he was perfect. On impact, the spell split and headed back in direction it came from. Pleased with him self, he watched in satisfaction as the two beams harmlessly hit parts of the wall. It would take some practice, but it wasn't bad for his first attempts.

Now was the part that he was really interested in; trying to Apparate. Harry thought that the best course of action would be to try normal Apparation first before he tried the new technique he learned that required goings against the laws of Apparation. He figured the correct thing to do was to just try to Apparate right outside of the cave entrance and then back in. His only reservation about this plan was that he didn't feel like having to fall down that bloody hole again if he couldn't Apparate back in. Oh well, he thought, at least he would know if it would work or not. He pictured being outside, right in front of the cave entrance, took a step and disappeared. Harry had closed his eyes during the short journey, but when he opened them he mentally patted himself on the back for his success as he stared at the once again sealed cave entrance. Now it was time for the real test; getting back in. He pictured his high back chair in his office and with another small step was gone. He knew he was successful when he let himself fall backwards, and instead of hitting the hard stone floor, he was sitting comfortably in his chair. Well that made his life easier. Now he could Apparate from anywhere directly into the shelter.

Harry debated with him self whether or not to try the other shield, but he thought it would probably be a royal pain trying to remove the ground above him that was frozen solid. So now with nothing else to do, it was back to the book. He felt him self fill with excitement when he saw at the top of the next page, another picture, a majestic lion.

_My next topic of focus is one that I find of great enjoyment. Now we talk about the process of changing the body into that of another form, or in other words an animal. My father taught this practice to many before he was killed, but I have discovered a variation which is only known to me and I refuse to spread the knowledge to anyone else besides you. There are several known ways to perform the animal transformation, but they take lengthy amounts of time and they place restrictions on the forms. I have found a way to instantly perform the transformation and a way in which it is possible to achieve multiple forms. When I say that I found a way, it is more that I stumbled upon the process. I was strolling with my wife one evening when we were attacked by a group of common thieves. I was knocked down as I was caught off of my guard so the thieves began to go after my wife. My wand had rolled away when I fell so I was forced to watch as they assaulted my wife. I was filled with such hatred and rage, and I felt it course through my body. The next thing I was aware of was that I felt like I was no longer in my body. My previous surroundings had disappeared and I saw other figures. They were animals, several different types. I focused my attention on the closest one, a lion, and the next moment I was the lion. I was back in my previous surroundings and I charged the men who were attacking my love. That was how I discovered the transformation. It was before my father had actually taught me the more complicated method, but I taught my methods to my sons, and they were able to achieve it. The technique requires a great amount of rage. You must make yourself extremely angry by any means necessary. Both of my sons wrote down a list of things that angered them and repeatedly read them until they had the same experience I went through. Once you see all of your animals, you can just think of them and your body will change. You may wonder why every magic wielder who goes into a fit of anger does not suddenly discover the ability to transform, but I believe I have discovered the reason. There may be two explanations, the first being that if someone already knows of the harder methods to achieve the transformation, their mind blocks out the method they are unaware of. It is just a theory, but it proved right when I tried to teach it to my mother. My father had informed her on his method, but when I went to teach her mine she was unable to achieve it. The other explanation could be just as simple as people pass off the vision as some type of dream and think nothing of it afterwards. If I had not focused my attention on one of the animals when I had my vision, I most likely would have either returned to my conscious state or passed out completely._

If Harry had to use one word to describe what he had just read it would definitely have been wow. He tried to understand all of the theory behind the method, but his mind was having trouble keeping up. Harry didn't think his father had ever received the book, and he bet he would have been extremely upset if he ever found out that he could have learned how to become more than one animal. He was glad that he had never let his curiosity take over and look for a way to become an animagus while he was at Hogwarts, because the Potter method sounded a hell of a lot easier. All he had to do was get him self ticked off. That didn't sound too hard because there were a lot of things in his life that ticked him off. He considered trying it right away, but he heard the unmistakable sounds of Dobby scurrying around in the kitchen so he went to investigate. When he made it to the kitchen he could already see the elf hard at work preparing dinner. Dinner, Harry looked at his watch and finally realized that it was quite late. The whole time difference was going to take some getting used to. Apparently Dobby hadn't realized he had entered the room because the elf looked startled for a second when he saw him.

"Oh! Harry Potter sir, Dobby is not seeing you come in!"

"It's alright Dobby, I'm sorry I scared you. Did everything go ok while you were out," Harry asked.

"Dobby is having no troubles Harry Potter sir. There is a village not too far away from here where he is finding the supplies."

"Excellent work Dobby." The house elf stood proudly at the praise. "Did you see any Death Eaters while you were out?"

Dobby involuntarily shuddered at the mention of Voldemort's followers. "No sir, but Dobby is not seeing many people out. Many people is staying in there homes." Harry simply nodded at Dobby's statement. "Harry Potter sir should go sit at the table and Dobby will bring out dinner shortly," the elf said ushering Harry out of the kitchen.

An hour later, completely fed and tired out, Harry made his way towards his bedroom and fell on the monster of a bed. He looked up and remembered he still had to figure out how to turn off those bloody lights. Too tired to care at the moment, he grabbed the nearest pillow and placed it over his head, effectively blocking out the light.


	12. Chapter 12

Harry cracked open his eyes and maneuvered his arm so that he could catch a glance at the watch he had neglected to take off before going to bed the previous night. It was almost seven and he didn't feel like he would be able to fall back asleep. He slowly forced his body out of the comfort of the bed and teetered sleepily over towards the bathroom. His body was still sore from his non stop movement from the past days so he decided to take a warm bath to try and relax. He turned on the water to fill the bath, but when he looked around he realized there weren't any towels present.

"Dobby!" Harry waited one second and then the elf popped in front of him.

"What can Dobby be doing for Harry Potter?"

"I want to take a bath Dobby, but there aren't any towels. Do you think you could find some for me?"

Harry looked at the elf questioningly as he developed a very uncharacteristic grin on his face. "Don't worry Harry Potter sir, Dobby will be back quickly." The elf disappeared, but was back within a few seconds. His arms were full with as many towels as his little body were capable of holding. Harry looked closely at the towels and realized they looked very familiar.

"You don't mind if I ask where you got them from do you Dobby?" Harry was worried once again when the grin returned to the elf's face.

"Dobby is taking them from Hogwarts!" At this point the elf was hopping up and down in excitement. "He is taking them from you know who's bathroom," the elf squeaked. Harry just stood there staring dumbfounded at his little friend. Then he thought about it more, how when Voldy went to use the shower the next time he wouldn't have any towels and he knew the house elves wouldn't bring him anymore, he just broke down howling in laughter. It was possibly the dumbest thing ever to laugh at, but it just felt good thinking that a house elf had just pulled a prank on the dark lord. Harry just leaned back against the nearest wall and tried to get him self under control. It was hard seeing as Dobby looked like he was having spasms trying to keep him self from laughing in the presence of his master.

After getting in control, Harry thanked the elf for the laugh and the towels and dismissed him. He forgot that he had the water running and quickly turned it off to prevent an overflow. He pulled of his clothing and unceremoniously dumped them on the floor. He never even noticed his house elf popping back in and replacing them with fresh clothes. The warm water felt amazing to his body when he finally slid into the bath. He thought about just lounging around that way all day, but the thought of his friends back in England quickly squashed that idea.

A half an hour later, body relaxed and skin dried out, he exited the bathroom dressed in the clothes that Dobby had obviously left for him. He walked into the huge main room and noticed a plate of eggs and toast waiting for him. Harry thought he really needed to make sure he compensated Dobby a lot for the outstanding work he was doing. Sitting down at the table, he poured him self a glass of juice from the pitcher sitting by his plate and dug into his breakfast. It was extremely quiet sitting eating breakfast by him self. He saw Dobby's form moving around the room every once in a while straightening up, but otherwise no activity. He couldn't lie to him self, he was definitely lonely. It was pretty bad when his only company was two birds, technically one considering he had no idea where Fawkes was at the moment, and a hyperactive house elf who enjoyed stealing Dark Lords towels; God, how he missed his friends.

Trying to get away from his depression he hurried to finish eating and get back to productive activities. He felt bad just leaving the used dishes on the table, but knew Dobby would be upset if he cleaned up after himself. Walking into his office he saw Hedwig sitting on the perch next to his desk sleeping. He treaded as quietly as possible, trying not to wake her up. She had obviously found a way out of the shelter because lying on the ground beneath her perch was the grizzly remains of some small animal that was unrecognizable. Tearing his eyes away from the disgusting sight, he decided to grab the book and take it into the other room as to not disturb Hedwig. She wouldn't appreciate being awoken so soon after hunting. Taking the book from the spot he had left it he crept back out and found a space on the couch to lounge on. He turned to the next page from where he had left off yesterday.

_The next bit of knowledge I wish to discuss is that of theory of magic. What is it that makes a user different from a person unable to use? Standing a magic wielder next to someone without the ability will show no physical difference at all. Is the difference something internal, something within the blood? It may be, but we may never know. What I do know is that there is magic everywhere. That is what the key is to using your powers. The magic that surrounds us is what allows for things to be manipulated as we see fit. The trouble is that the normal magic wielder refuses to see the magic around them. They think that they, themselves, are unique and special. They take for granted the gift that the source of magic saw fit to bestow upon them. You must not fall into that trap. When you embrace the knowledge that magic is everywhere you can use it to accomplish amazing feats. Once you have learned to see the magic, there will no longer be any need to memorize spells or charms. Just will the magic to do your bidding. To learn this you must focus and pay close attention every time you use magic. Watch the forces as they work to do what you command. There are limits to this power that you must know. It is limited to the things that exist around you and are tangible. You must still know the spells for conjuration and offensive and defensive magic. The real benefit of this type of magic is transfiguration and natural magic, using nature to your benefit._

Harry put the book down and tried to understand the words. He had really never given a thought to how magic worked. His ancestor was right, most people just do magic and never give it another thought. It would be so much simpler if you could just think about what you wanted to happen and it would happen. Even when you cast a spell without speaking, you still had to use an incantation to make it work correctly. He picked up his wand and levitated one of the chairs that were close to him. He made sure to keep his arm steady and keep the spell going, and then concentrated on the space around the chair. There was definitely some type of presence around the chair, but it was hard to discern. He kept his eyes locked onto the space and after several minutes he saw something! It was unbelievably hard to see, but it was definitely there. If he had to call it something he would say it sort of looked like some type of dust or mist. There wasn't really any way he could describe the color, it wasn't clear, but it wasn't a very pronounced color either. He focused further and was amazed when the dusting had spread from just the immediate space around the chair to everywhere. It was surrounding everything and just floating in the air. Looking down he watched it as it swirled around his body. He moved his free hand out as if to grab the substance and watched as it passed directly through his palm and fingers. Waving his hand, he watched as the mist swirled around in the wind created by the movement. Looking down again, he sat fascinated as he saw the mist pass through his chest and the rest of his body. He finally dropped the spell he had been holding and flinched as heard the chair thump back onto the ground. The thing that amazed him now was that the mist was still there, even after he released the spell. Harry let his mind wander again, switching his focus and after a blink of his eyes the mist disappeared. Now the test was to see if he could get it to come back.

He concentrated again, but this time without doing any magic. Clearing his mind he saw the mist start to appear in random patches around the entire room. It took only a few seconds before every corner of the room was filled with magic. He decided to test out this new way of doing magic and pulled pointed his wand at the same chair once again. This time however, instead of thinking of the spell to levitate the chair, he simply wished for it to float in the air. He thought it happened in slow motion, but in reality it was within a few seconds. The mist around the chair condensed almost into something that looked solid and slowly lifted all four legs of the chair off of the floor. He moved his wand and the magic moved the chair along in the same direction. Pleased and finished with his experiment, he thought about having the chair on the floor and the mist slowly lowered it back down. He sat back and let out a breath and waited for the mist to disappear again. This was definitely going to work in his favor, he just wished he would have known it five years earlier. It would have made classes a hell of a lot easier. It couldn't be used for everything though; he still needed to learn the ways to defend himself and how to duel.

The thing about the natural magic really had him curious. There really wasn't any source of nature around the shelter. However, an idea popped into his head. Since the first time he arrived he had thought about how the lights and fire had been on and how he was supposed to turn them off. Fire was something that could be considered natural. Not really considering what he was doing, he focused on the surrounding magic again. He didn't realize his mistake until it was too late. Intending to raze the flame, he thought about the flame, except he thought about all of the flames in the room instead of just one. Apparently that took too much control for a first try because every flame in the room went from small and restricted to complete inferno in a matter of seconds. Harry stared wide eyed as he watched the flames from the oil lamps lick the ceiling. His attention was quickly averted when he realized that he was standing directly across from the fireplace. The magical mist had made its way to the fire and a jet of flame shot directly towards his chest. He dropped to his knees and felt as the flames singed the back of his neck; luckily none of his clothing was ignited. Thinking quickly he willed all of the fire in the room to contract. His actions were rewarded when the whole room plunged into total darkness. It would seem that he had unintentionally extinguished all of the lights instead of just minimizing them. The trouble now was that he had met the limitations of the magic in the mist. He couldn't conjure a flame and he needed a spell to do it. Unfortunately it was pitch black and he couldn't find where to throw the spell. Just when he was putting his plan in motion to crawl around the room helplessly his savior showed himself.

"Where is you Harry Potter sir? Dobby cannot find you!" Harry thought the elf sounded like he was about to have a panic attack.

"I'm alright Dobby, I just accidentally turned the lights out. Do you think you could light them again?" Harry heard what must have been a snap of the elf's fingers and everything was visible once again.

"Well, now I know how to control the lights; just have Dobby snap his fingers," he muttered so only he could hear. "Thanks Dobby, I'm fine now."

"You is welcome sir," the elf bowed and scrambled back towards the kitchen.

Harry pulled his body up off of the hard floor and settled back onto the couch, glad that he hadn't burnt the whole place down. He vowed to start slower next time instead of jumping right into a new technique. That said, he decided to start working on the animal transformation. He found a piece of parchment and quill and started work on a list of things that angered him.

_Voldemort murdered my parents_

_Pettigrew gave up the location of my parents to Voldemort_

_Sirius was falsely imprisoned without a trial_

_I was forced to live with family members who hated everything about me_

_My relatives told me that my parents died in a car crash_

_I have a permanent reminder of Voldemort on my forehead _

_The wizarding world looks at me half the time as their savior and the other half like I'm mental_

_Pettigrew killed Cedric_

_Voldemort used my blood to resurrect himself_

_Umbridge made me write lines into my hand_

_Dumbledore kept Sirius locked up in the childhood home he hated_

_Snape tried to destroy my mind during occlumency lessons_

_Voldemort tricked me into coming to the ministry_

_BELLATRIX KILLED SIRIUS_

_DUMBLEDORE WAITED TO TELL ME ABOUT THE PROPEHCY_

_VOLDEMORT KILLED DUMBLEDORE AND TOOK OVER MOST PARTS OF THE WORLD_

_ALL MY FRIENDS ARE EITHER DEAD OR IMPRISONED_

_THE FATE OF THE FUCKING WORLD DEPENDS ON ME_

He didn't even realized that he had started capitalizing as he reached further down the list, but he did know he was pretty damn well angry. He had been angry before, there was no doubt about it, but usually he only had room in his mind to be angry at one thing at a time. This was probably the first time he actually considered how many things about his life were unfair and sucked. He read the list once and then again, no longer trying to hold in his emotions like he usually did. He thought about what it would have been like growing up with loving parents, how they would have been there to see all of his accomplishments. Everything good about his life had been crushed and taken away. Harry felt his heart beat speed up and his hands start to shake. People are often said to become blind with rage and that is exactly what was happening to him because he was suddenly unable to see anything. At this point he began to calm down because he was a little freaked out, but then he realized this must have been what the book had been talking about, a sort of out of body experience. His consciousness must have withdrawn into his own mind. He sort of laughed to himself as he looked around and saw that his mind looked rather empty, only darkness. Harry realized that he was actually able to move around as he normally could. Moving in the direction he was facing, he finally noticed something flickering in the distance. Willing himself further forward, the flickering started to take shape and become a solid figure. As he got closer the first thing that invaded his vision were a set of long, sharp, branched antlers. He stopped short as he looked into the creature's eyes, the same color he saw every time he gazed into a mirror. He looked at the animal standing proudly on its four legs in front of him. It was something he had seen many a time. Usually it would burst out of his wand ready to defend against a dementor, but now it was standing right in front of him; it wasn't the translucent form he was accustomed to, but a tangible version. The stag stood before him, staring at him without blinking its familiar eyes. He longed to go and stroke the smooth coat of hair on the animal, but remembered that he would turn into the animal right away if he focused his attention on it. Reluctantly turning away, his breath caught when he saw five more figures in the distance. The first one he reached was a bird. Examining closer he saw it was some form of an eagle. Its body was a combination of dark brown and black while its crown and beak were scattered with bit of gold; the eyes were the same brilliant shade of green. It didn't look very large, but as it spread its wings to take flight they spread with a span of over five feet. The most intimidating feature though, were the talons that looked like they could separate flesh and muscle from bone with ease.

He turned to the next figure in line and was instantly impressed. Standing before him was a pure white stallion with the green eyes like the creatures before him. Harry felt there was something odd about this stallion though, mostly because there was steam escaping from its mouth as it would breathe. Then his eyes went wide as a burst of flame shot out of its mouth. That was definitely not supposed to happen with a normal horse. The next animal in line sent him reminiscing back to his first year and his first transfiguration class with Professor McGonagall; this cat was just a little bit bigger. As it stretched its long body out, the black spots of the leopard stood out among its gold and white fur. It yawned and the razor sharp teeth were displayed. Harry would say it was cute if it weren't for the menacing claws and teeth waiting to rip into something.

The second to last animal had wondering how he could mess with Hedwig. He could imagine just showing up in front of her and having her attack him for invading her territory. The owl in front of him was spotted all over its light brown feathers and was probably twice the size of Ron's owl Pigwidgeon. The owl's eyes weren't quite the same as the others. It had great black eyes with just specks of green glittering inside. Normally an owl would be classified as a predator, but it seemed to be looking warily at the leopard that was a few mere feet away.

Moving on to the last in line he recoiled immediately when he had horrible flashbacks to a trapdoor in the third floor corridor of Hogwarts. He groaned and looked in front of him at the strange creature; it was the return of Fluffy, the three headed dog. He seriously doubted that he would ever try to turn himself into this thing, because all three heads were going absolutely crazy barking at one another. As soon as they started trying to bite Harry took a few steps back and tried to decide what he wanted to try first. He felt a pull to turn into the animal that represented his father, but instead the memory of McGonagall and the cat led him back in front of the leopard. Not really knowing what he was doing, he walked closer and reached out as if to pat the feline on the head. His hand never made contact before he was suddenly back in the shelter and out from the depths of his mind. The only thing that was different now was that his whole body felt extremely strange. He realized he was down on all fours so he looked down saw the unmistakable front set of paws right underneath his head. Obviously the transformation had been successful so he tried to take a few steps. It was definitely awkward at first, but eventually he grew comfortable with walking. His attention was drawn by a disturbance he heard coming from the kitchen. He noticed that his senses had improved largely. Every sound was picked up by his ears, and after living his whole life wearing glasses, having perfect vision was a unique experience. Deciding to go and check on Dobby, he walked silently into the kitchen and saw the elf picking up some pots that must have fallen on the floor. He forgot that he wasn't able to speak correctly, and his attempt came out more as a growl. The unknowing elf quickly spun around and his eyes went as wide as saucers.

"AAAHHHHHHH!"

Harry doubted he had ever seen something move as fast as that little elf did. It took less than a second for Dobby to hurl his body into the pantry. Harry closed his eyes as he heard more things crash to the floor that Dobby obviously had run into. Concentrating on, and then reverting back into human form, Harry sighed and went to find where his house elf had burrowed himself.


	13. Chapter 13

July thirty first found Harry Potter sitting at the large dining table at the Potter shelter. In front of him sat a small birthday cake that Dobby had insisted on making for him. While he appreciated the gesture, sitting at the table and looking at the cake brought about a strong bout of depression that was becoming all too familiar to him. It reminded him so much of the times before he had found out he was a wizard, the times where he sat alone in his cupboard on his birthday, no one there to care. What about this was different? It was just him.

In his few weeks in the shelter he had come into a sort of routine that was to him, terribly monotonous. He would get up, eat breakfast, read, sometimes eat lunch if he wasn't distracted by the reading, do some sort of exercise to work out some tension, eat dinner, then train some more before finally falling into his bed. When he exercised he would normally go outside and change into one of his animal forms. He had figured out that by spending time as the animals, it would actually benefit his human form. Running as the leopard had packed muscle onto his arms and legs, while flying as the owl or eagle and strengthened his back. Between that and Dobby's cooking he felt like he had gained a ton of weight. He had made sure to show Dobby all of his forms, beside the three headed dog, to make sure that the house elf wouldn't flip out again. It had taken Harry almost an hour for him to find Dobby the first day he had changed into a leopard. It took him an additional hour to convince him that nothing was going to try and devour him.

On the training front, Harry had progressed a little more than half way through the Potter book. If he could recall correctly, he was on the fourth different Potter. He had learned more in his short time reading the book than he had in five years at Hogwarts. Some of the things had come easy while others he was either still working on or had taken several days to accomplish. The current Potter whose writing he was studying had finally added a date so he was able to guess the approximate the dates of the other Potter's lives. What was extremely strange was that the Potters originated around the end of the sixteenth century, and there hadn't been any mention of Hogwarts by anyone. Hogwarts had been founded sometime in the tenth century so he was curious why there wasn't any information on it. Maybe his family had taught themselves, or was living too far away from the school. That's when he remembered he hadn't spoken to Dumbledore in quite a while. The man was a fountain of knowledge.

He walked over to the table where he had been keeping Dumbledore's journal and picked it up. Using a nearby quill, he began writing.

_Hello Professor. Sorry I haven't written in a while. I hope your not terribly bored just being in that book._

_**Hello Harry. Do not worry yourself over not writing, I'm sure you are keeping yourself busy. As for my level of boredom, that is really of no consequence to me. You see, I can best describe myself as a muggle device. Whenever you write in the book, it sort of acts as an on switch. Whenever you don't write I am turned off. If you have ever noticed the magical portraits in my former office, whenever I needed them they would communicate with me, and when I wasn't in need of assistance they would appear to be sleeping. The book is just another form of that.**_

_I understand sir._

_**Well that is good to hear. Now what have you been doing and how may I help?**_

_Actually pretty much just reading and practicing. I did manage to find that book you were talking about and it's amazing. I've learned all sorts of magic that I never thought possible. I even learned how to turn myself into an animal, well actually six._

_**Six forms? That is simply amazing, how is it that you achieved this feat? I've never heard of it being done.**_

_It's actually a family secret sir. My ancestor learned it and only taught it within our family._

_**I completely understand my boy, no need to divulge anything. Would you mind me asking what your forms are? **_

_No, not at all, Professor. There is the stag like my father, an eagle, a stallion that shoots fire out of its mouth, a leopard, a small owl, and my least favorite that I refuse to turn into, a disgusting three headed dog._

Harry waited for a minute for a reply, suddenly worrying that something was wrong with the book. Finally more writing appeared.

_**I need to be absolutely sure, but are you sure they are your forms? It is of utmost importance that I know.**_

_I'm sure Professor; I've turned into them all besides the dog. Why what's wrong?_

_**Please do not be angry with me because I know that you have no good feelings at all towards this subject. And do not think that this was something I kept from you because it most definitely was not. I am talking about another prophecy.**_

Harry froze. He didn't even realize that he had dropped the quill had been using. This couldn't be happening, not another prophecy. Wasn't one of them enough? He already had to destroy a dark lord, what else could be added to his burden?

_What type of prophecy?_

_**Actually, if you were to follow this prophecy, it could help you in your effort against Voldemort.**_

_How so?_

_**Do**__**you know any thing about the Ancient Greeks Harry?**_

_Not much sir. I never really paid attention in History of Magic. I remember some things from the muggle schools, but that was mostly about mythology._

_**Well yes, to the muggles, they would see it as myths, but not wizards. The things that are told in mythology are based mostly on events that happened with the ancient magic users. You may have heard of the Greek Gods and Goddesses. Who knows if they were actually Gods and Goddesses, but they were most definitely witches and wizards. All of those creatures talked about in legend were most likely real, well actually they are still real according to legend.**_

_What do you mean still real? Those stories are from thousands of years ago._

_**After the fall of the great muggle, Alexander the Great, the flourishing of the Greek Civilization gave way to the rise of the Romans. They had their own Gods and Goddesses who they worshipped and the Greek gods were almost forgotten. Many of the magical creatures in Ancient Greece were loyal to the wizards and were watched over by them. It is said that when the twelve witches and wizards who ruled Mount Olympus began to die out, the magical creatures fled into the mountain. Many a witch and wizard have searched the mountain, but no sign was ever found that they were still there. That was when the prophecy came into being.**_

_What does it have to do with my animal forms?_

_**Well I cannot remember the exact wording of the prophecy as it has been over sixty years since I heard it, but I can probably summarize it. It basically told that there would come a time when one person would come forward, bearing six signs of the Gods. Only this person would be able to enter into Mount Olympus and find the magical creatures that fled there. The creatures would be loyal to who ever was able to enter into their sanctuary within the mountain.**_

_But how do I bear six signs of the Gods?_

_**Each of the Gods was said to have certain animals that they were associated with. Zeus had the eagle. Dionysus had the leopard. Athena had the owl. Ares had a chariot pulled by great, fire breathing stallions. Artemis had the deer. Last, but not least, Hades kept a three headed dog, known in legend as the Cerberus. Six Gods and six animals.**_

_So how can I use this to my advantage?_

_**You must know by now that Voldemort has the support of other magical races such as the werewolves and vampires. I am sure that he will acquire more. Many spells and forms of magic are useless against magical creatures. If you were to go and fulfill the prophecy you could gain the allegiance of other magical creatures, long thought disappeared or extinct. Instead of having to worry about Voldemort's monsters, you could use your own creatures against them. Match brute strength against brute strength. It would allow you to focus your attention on Voldemort himself and his Death Eaters. The more help you have the more likely you are to succeed.**_

_Alright so now I have to go to Greece and find my way into Mount Olympus._

_**Yes I would say you do. Now just because you have received this information does not mean you should go rushing over there. You must study everything you can about the Ancient Greeks, including the language. There may be some creatures there that do not speak at all, but there will be some that do. Study the ancient customs as much as you are training to fight. In the books that I left you, you will find the necessary reading as I studied in Greece for several years.**_

_I'll add it to my to do list sir. It's definitely a lot to take in._

_**Studying and training to beat Voldemort is your foremost concern Harry. The second prophecy is secondary. Now is there anything else that I can help you with?**_

_Actually yes there is. I was reading in my family book and I realized that they never talk about Hogwarts. It sounded to me like none of them ever went there. _

_**I may have some knowledge about this. After all, if someone desires to be the Headmaster of Hogwarts, they should definitely know their history. Now, understand that after Salazar Slytherin died, the students that he had been teaching came back to Hogwarts. Now I am sure you are well aware of the conflict between Slytherin and the other houses that still exists today, but compared to back then it is nothing. There was such fighting in the halls of the school that went on for hundreds of years. Many families chose not to send their children into that violence and opted to educate their children at home. It is a practice that still exists today, but it is very rare. I know for a fact that your great grandfather was the first Potter to attend Hogwarts. I cannot blame any family that did not send their children to Hogwarts during those times. I would fear for their safety as well. **_

_I can understand that as well. At least that answers my question. I best get back to work sir, I'll speak to you later._

_**Goodbye Harry, and happy birthday as well.**_

_How did you know, I didn't think you had anyway of keeping track of time._

_**Magic my boy, magic!**_

Harry snorted at his headmaster's corny attempt at a joke and closed the journal back up. He fell back onto the couch and began massaging his temples, trying to alleviate the head ache that the news of a second prophecy had brought. He couldn't deny that Dumbledore was right. Voldemort probably had all sorts of creatures on his side, plus the thousands of Death Eaters he had probably recruited around the globe. He would have to think about it though. He didn't know if it was worth the time to go on a crazy journey through Greece, only to find that anything that had been inside the mountain had already died out.

Harry decided he needed something to distract him self so he went back over to book he was reading. He was now starting on the fourth set of entries from Lord Harrison Potter.

_This is the first time that I am writing in this book that was handed to me while my father was on his deathbed. I am now in my late seventies and it is they year 1794. Writing in this is difficult for me as I am not really much of a teacher. I have spent most of my life as a warrior, training in the arts of combat both magical and non magical. So, instead of the gift of my knowledge, I have built a new underground structure in a region of land just acquired by the British muggles. It is to serve as a place of safety for our family in times of danger. Inside the structure I will leave the armor that I have spent my life wearing in battle. I am not much of an academic, but my youngest brother is a master of alchemy and potions. He created for me a type of metal that is incredibly light, but incredibly resilient. It has saved my life on many occasions. The place I have chosen to hide the armor is behind the fireplace. Go to the mantle and pull in down. The rest will happen on its own. I know that this is not much, but it is the best that I am able to offer. If I think of anything else before my time is at an end, I will be sure to add it. If not, then the next writing that will appear will be that of my son. Good Luck. _

He looked down and saw a map drawn of the location he was at currently. That was definitely the least amount of writing that one of his ancestors had provided, but none of them had actually left him something before now. Letting the book slip off of his lap, he got up and walked over to the fire. There was a stone mantle, but I didn't look like something that was able to move. Reaching up, he placed both hands onto the stone, and per the instructions, tried to pull down. It was slow going at first, only moving a small distance, not enough to reveal the armor. Deciding on a new tactic, he climbed onto the mantle and put all of his bodyweight onto it. This was much more effective as the stone slid all the way down and Harry heard a loud clicking sound. Removing his body from the mantle, he stood back and watched as the whole fireplace began to turn itself. He felt as the heat from the flames disappeared and could feel a cool breeze blown in from the opposite side. Once the whole of the fire had gone, his attention turned to what had taken its place. It wasn't what he had thought it would be; it was much better. When the book has said armor, he pictured the many suits of armor that were spread throughout Hogwarts, big bulky hunks of metal. This was magnificent. The whole thing was hanging on a wooden mannequin. On the head was that same mask that was carved above his bed; the mask with the wide, owl eyes. The metal looked like it was silver, but it was slightly darker than any he had ever seen. There was a breastplate that went from his shoulders to the stomach. Every muscle had been sculpted into the metal. There were two pieces that went over each of his legs along with a pair of black dragon hide boots. Pieces of metal were also fitted around the biceps and forearms, with another pair of thick dragon hide gloves. Over the whole outfit, was a fine, silk, maroon cloak. Harry reached out to feel the fabric, and as he pulled it back, he noticed the hilt of a sword poking out. The hilt was made of the same fine silver metal. He grabbed the hilt and pulled the hit out of the sheath that it had been encased in. Expecting it to be heavy, he had grabbed it with both hands, but when the whole thing had been taken out; he was amazed at it being so light. Something this light had to be flimsy, but again it was solid and didn't feel like anything could damage it. It felt amazing to hold the sword, like it was made just for him. He waved it around, and tried to lunge a few times with it, making sure not to impale himself at all times. He walked away from the armor, sword still in hand, and headed towards the library. He needed to find a book on sword fighting.


	14. Chapter 14

Harry swung the blade downward, deflecting the oncoming blow. He struck back with a fearsome thrust, only to be impeded by the opposition. His opponent came with a horizontal slice forcing him to collapse to his back away from the danger. It had been going on like this for almost an hour. Harry had charmed one of the swords from the glass covered display in the library to attack the closest living thing around. It had been tricky considering that he was practicing outdoors. The sword had gone after some small animal at first and Harry was required to go chase after it before it was lost. It had been nearly a month now since he had found the armor and the sword, and he had been practicing with it ever since. Something in one of the books he had discovered in the library had suggested charming another sword in the absence of an actual opponent. The only problem was that there was no way to adjust the skill level on the sword after it was charmed. Its main goal was to kill and it forced Harry to learn fast to avoid being maimed. He had come back into the shelter occasionally sporting several gashes, but nothing too serious so far. He figured a little bit of pain was worth it, as he doubted whether many Death Eaters actually carried swords, giving him an upper hand.

Gaining back his concentration, he hopped to his feet and dodged another pass of the enchanted sword. After the other sword passed, he raised his own over his head and swung down effectively trapping it against the ground. Holding it with all his strength, he used his left hand to reach into his pocket and pull out his wand. He quickly ended the charm on the sword and watched as it fell lifelessly to the ground. Slipping his wand away once again, he impaled his sword in the hard earth so that it stood on its own. Trying to catch his breath, he lifted the bottom of his grey t-shirt to wipe the sweat trickling off of his brow, and was suddenly reminded of how cold it was out. The moisture that had developed on his skin made him shiver as the stiff breeze met it and he decided that it was time to end his outdoor excursion for the day. Pulling his sword out of the ground and picking the other up from where it lay, he quickly Apparated back into the Potter shelter.

Harry walked over to where his armor was still showcased and slid his sword back into its sheath. He was still cold from his time outside so he pushed a stone that stuck out further than any of the others and the roaring fire made its presence felt once more. Leaning the spare blade up against the wall, he slowly descended to the floor in front of the fire, and let the warmth penetrate his body. Letting his head turn to the side he noticed Fawkes perched on the dining table. The phoenix showed itself every once in a while, but not much. He would stay for several days and then without any warning he would be gone, to where Harry had no clue. The magical bird's presence was appreciated none the less, as it helped ease his depression and sense of helplessness. He had been away from England now for around two months and had no clue what was going on outside his own little world. Dobby had told him a little more about the village where he picked up supplies. Apparently it wasn't very big, but the elf had heard someone talking about the village hosting to some wizards who were on the run from Death Eaters. Harry guessed the village had to relatively unknown if no evil had reached it yet. He was thinking about risking a trip there at some point, but hadn't as of yet.

After resting for a few minutes and becoming thoroughly warmed up, he lifted himself off of the floor and made his way to the bedroom, patting Fawkes' head along the way. He slipped of his sweaty shirt, and then dropped his pants to floor, leaving him in only a pair of boxers. Walking into the unbelievably large closet, he searched around until he found a warm looking, emerald robe. Pushing his arms through the holes, he pulled the middle of the robe together, and tied it off with the accompanying belt. He walked back into the main room and took a seat at the dining table directly across from where Fawkes sat. It only took a second before Dobby popped in with a plate of food and placed it in front of him.

"Thank you Dobby, this looks excellent as always," Harry complimented. The elf looked pleased and bowed, but didn't disappear.

"Harry Potter sir, Dobby is heading to the village tomorrow to pick up supplies. He is wondering if you is needing anything special?"

Harry took a bite from the plate in front of him and thought about it before he answered. He was contemplating his thoughts from earlier and quickly made up his mind. "Why don't you go shopping for supplies in the morning and then later tomorrow night you can pop me over to village so I can have a look around. I figure there's less a chance of me being recognized than in broad daylight."

"As you wish Harry Potter sir." Dobby bowed again and then scurried back into the kitchen.

He ate slowly and enjoyed Dobby's cooking before getting up from the table and stretching. He knew he only had a bit left to read in the Potter book, but his whole body was aching. Harry had spent longer than usual outdoors that day, flying in his eagle form and exploring the forest before he had practiced his sword techniques. His eyelids were beginning to droop, so he felt his body was making the decision of what to do for him. Walking back to the bedroom, he went to rest up for his adventure tomorrow.

xXxXxXxXx

By midday the next day, Harry was getting anxious. He hadn't been away from the shelter in months and was looking forward to seeing other people. He was walking back and forth in front of the fireplace waiting for Dobby to return from his shopping trip. Harry had woken up late in the afternoon and Dobby had refused to leave before making sure that he had lunch, so it was already around six. Something didn't feel right about this to Harry though. Dobby usually took hardly any time to pick up supplies, and here it was he had already been gone for three hours. He didn't want to call the house elf just in case he was in the middle of something, but his worry was starting to outweigh the concern for inconveniencing the elf. Suddenly there was a loud pop that echoed throughout the shelter, and Harry turned quickly to see the small heap that was Dobby lying on the floor. His face seemed to be covered in black, and his clothing looked as though it had been singed. Harry raced over and righted the elf that seemed to have spaced out, but quickly snapped back to attention.

"Harry Potter sir! The bad men is attacking the village! They is burning it and harming the peoples there!" The rugged elf looked ready to burst into tears.

"Can you take me there Dobby?" Harry asked ready to do something helpful for a change.

"Dobby cannot be taking you directly into the village Harry Potter sir. They is putting wards up to stop even house elves from leaving quickly."

"But how did you get here Dobby, if you couldn't Apparate?"

"Dobby is running sir, until he is far enough away to come back."

"Alright Dobby, I'm going to go get ready and then I want you to take me to the edge of wards. I'll be able to run from there."

"Tis a long distance Harry Potter sir. It is taking Dobby a long time to reach the ends of the wards," the elf stated concerned.

"Don't worry Dobby, I have other means to get there quickly. Hold on one minute, let me get changed and then we'll go." Harry didn't even wait to hear if Dobby responded, as he got off the floor and ran across the room. He stopped directly in front of the fireplace and threw his entire body on top of the stone mantle, enough for it to descend and start to turn into the wall. Harry waited for it to completely spin and then began to pull the armor off of the wall. He had tried it on before in the event of situation like this, where he needed to be ready quickly. The first thing he did was place on the snug, silk layer of clothing that went on under the metal armor. Once it was on he went about fastening the silver pieces, leaving the mask off for the moment. He attached the belt around his waist with the sword and scabbard connected, then slid on the dragon hide boots and gloves. The maroon cloak went over his body, concealing most of his armor. He hadn't actually ever placed the mask on, but looking at it now, he wondered how it managed to stay on. There weren't any straps that would keep it in place. Going on faith, he placed the mask direct in front of his face, and was instantly rewarded when the metal of the mask expanded and wrapped itself firmly around his entire head. Amazingly, he could no longer feel his glasses, but could still see perfectly through the rounded eyes of the silver mask. Feeling as ready as ever, he place the hood of his cloak over his head and ran to pick up his wand from the table where he had left it sitting. Grabbing it quickly and tucking it into his belt, he stood expectantly in front of Dobby. The house elf did not look like he wanted any part of going back near the village, but obeying his master, he grabbed onto Harry's cloak and they vanished instantly.

xXxXxXxXx

Harry dropped to his knees as he landed wherever Dobby had brought him. He was in a forest, but the trees were spread thin. In the distance he could see the outlines of snow topped mountains, and in front of them he could see black smoke rising into the darkening sky. He turned his attention to Dobby who was gripping his clothing nervously, glancing around as if waiting for something to jump out and attack.

"Dobby, I want you to go back home and wait for me alright. You did your part informing me and bringing me here, but now you need to get back to safety and calm down. Don't worry I'll be back soon." Harry started to get up, but his process was halted when Dobby threw himself on Harry and hugged him as hard as possible. The elf hopped off and quickly disappeared. Harry made it the rest of the way to his feet and looked back in the direction of the fires. Concentrating, he focused on the form of the leopard and was soon standing on all four limbs. He could smell the smoke better now, and he started racing in its direction. Harry could barely feel his paws touching the ground as he moved closer and closer to the chaos that awaited him. The smell of the smoke grew stronger and he hoped he wasn't too late to be any help. He began to see the outline of several structures a short distance ahead and began to slow down so that he could survey the area. Creeping slowly closer, he made it to the wall of an undamaged house and got his first good look at the entire village. It was probably a little smaller than Hogsmeade was, had been he reminded himself, but he could see dozens of tents set up on the edge of the village. He could remember Dobby mentioning refugees fleeing from the Death Eaters, and the tents obviously belonged to them.

Focusing back on the state of terror the village was under, he looked back at what he was facing. He guessed there were around twenty five or thirty Death Eaters, but what really concerned him were the three werewolves he could see ripping into the citizens of the village. The battle was really split into two smaller skirmishes. To his left there were about thirty citizens holding off fifteen Death Eaters and two of the werewolves while to his right it was a complete free for all with villagers and Death Eaters mingled together. Unfortunately if he went to the right, there wasn't much of sneaking up on the Death Eaters so he made a quick decision and snuck his way to the left.

The first group of black robed figures he met were barricaded behind a stack of crates and were lazily firing off curses at the less skilled villagers. Still in his leopard form, he crept behind the men and he leaped at the closest one, dragging him to the ground. The Death Eater lay beneath him in a daze, but quickly tried to point his wand at him. Harry, seeing the man's wand hand coming towards him raised one of his paws and in one swift motion slashed across his throat. The Death Eater's eyes went wide as suddenly he forgot the idea of attacking and reached for where his throat used to reside, trying unsuccessfully to stop the explosion of blood as it spurted out of his neck. The man's voice box had been ripped out so his screams of agony went unheard until his eyes finally lost all focus and his movement ceased. Even though the first Death Eater had been silenced, his four companions must have realized that he had stopped firing because they were all staring at where Harry the leopard stood menacingly over his victim. They quickly sought retribution and started firing hexes meant to do tremendous damage. Harry, with his remarkable feline reflexes, dodged the first volley of attacks and then with reckless abandon lunged at the Death Eaters. The group was so tightly packed that Harry was able to knock them all backwards at once. After gaining the advantage, Harry didn't let up his assault. He extended every claw and bared his razor teeth sinking them into anything within reached that moved. His movements were so swift the Death Eaters were left with no chance as they desperately tried to run or put pressure on their wounds to staunch the flow of crimson out of their beaten bodies. When there weren't anymore signs of immediate danger around him, Harry proceeded on, leaving the four Death Eaters to bleed out like the first.

Harry quickly transformed back to human and pulled out his wand and sword. He didn't even pay attention to which hand each was in, as he had become as close to ambidextrous as possible during his training. Moving behind the crates that the slain Death Eaters had unintentionally vacated, Harry looked up and realized that the villagers on the left side had begun to gain some ground. Apparently that fact didn't impede one of the werewolves as it jumped over the villager's blockade and latched its fangs into middle aged witch who had no chance. The original group of defenders that had been around thirty was now down to about twenty. Acting quickly to try to avoid more innocent casualties, Harry bent down and hopped over the crates in front of him right into the next line of Death Eaters. He shot a cutting curse that sliced one Death Eater in the back, exposing a bit of his spine, and then impaled his sword through the next Death Eater who had turned to find the disturbance. While he pulled his sword out the man's torso, he was knocked backwards as curse hit him straight in the chest. Amazingly, he looked down and saw that the breastplate of his armor wasn't even singed. He righted himself and focused on the magic like he had learned in the Potter book. Seeing as the fine mist appeared before him, he pointed his wand back at the crates he had jumped over and one by one they were propelled through the air right into the group of Death Eaters who couldn't move quickly enough out of the way. He had effectively taken ten of the Death Eaters on this side out of commission and watched as the defenders of the village overtook the remaining group.

Harry turned to aid the other side of the village, but was knocked forwards into the ground. His face had hit hard and he could feel blood running out his mouth where his teeth and had punctured the inside of his lip. Spitting as much as he could out, he rolled onto his back and finally saw his attacker. It was one of the werewolves and it was circling Harry, howling at the full moon that was just barely visible in the ever darkening sky. Lifting himself off the ground, Harry grabbed onto the hilt of his sword and waited. It was a short wait as the werewolf charged at him, clearly intent onto biting into his next victim. Harry stood relaxed with sword hanging loosely in the palm of his hand; his wand was still lying forgotten on the ground. He obviously managed to lure the wolf into a false sense of security, because it increased its speed and jumped at him. While his opponent was in the air, Harry fell into a fighting stance and raised his sword in front of his body, both hands with a firm grip. Quicker than a second before the wolf would have made contact, Harry stepped to the side and with a horizontal swiped of his blade, separated the head of the wolf from its body. Blood flew through the air as the head seemed to take several minutes before it bounced on the ground, just feet away from Harry's boots. Not stopping to observe, Harry ran back towards the other side of the village that was out of his sight range not knowing what was waiting for him.

Harry could have sworn the second he made it to the other side of the village that his heart stopped beating. He looked on at the completed carnage and the murdered forms of the villager lying lifeless on the ground in front of their homes and businesses. Harry looked up quickly as he heard more shouts. They were coming from the community of tents that had been set up for refugees and he could now see why. Coming out of the line of trees beyond the groups of tents were lines of Death Eaters; reinforcements. Death Eaters were now on both sides of the refugees, the ones coming out of the forest and the ones who had overtaken the defenders on the right side of the village. The refugees were scattering, running away from their tents. Harry could make out a few who were trying to fight, but they were quickly subdued by the Death Eaters. He rushed forward, closer to the tents, firing at any enemy he could reach, and that was when he saw her running out of the tent. Harry stopped dead and stared at the image of the young woman. That young woman who he had first met on the train five years ago to Hogwarts, that young women who he had saved from a mountain troll, that young woman with the bushy brown hair who had been his best friend for so long. Standing barely twenty feet away was Hermione Granger, valiantly trying to fight off Death Eaters on her own. Harry watched as Hermione shot a disarming spell at a Death Eater while he fired the exact same spell at her; both watched as their wands flew from their grips.

Hermione stood unarmed, but the Death Eater reached into his robes and pulled out a dagger. He rushed straight at the girl who stood looking horrified.

"Hermione!" Harry screamed her name and watched as she looked at him with a curious gaze, wondering who would know her. He could see the man still rushing at her so he changed into the leopard and ran towards Hermione. Changing back to a human, he shoved his best friend out the way and met the Death Eater head on. Harry overpowered the man to ground and was about to get up when he felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked down and was horrified when he saw the Death Eater's hand still holding the dagger that was now lodged into his side where the armor stopped. Harry bit back the scream of pain that attempted to escape, focused his magic and willed his sword into his hand from where he had left it when he had charged toward Hermione. He pushed the sword in an angry yell right through the Death Eater's evil heart. He watched in satisfaction as the man's eyes rolled into the back of his head and felt as the hand that was holding the dagger dropped to the ground. Harry tried to get his breathing under control, but it was difficult with the blade stuck in between his ribs. He reached with his right hand and attempted to pull out the dagger from his left side, but the pain was too intense and it wasn't exactly the perfect place to pass out.

"Who are you?"

Harry turned on his knees and looked into Hermione's eyes. She had retrieved her wand and was now leaning down right in front of him.

"I'm a friend, but now isn't the time to talk. I can get you out of here if you trust me. I can't tell you who I am right now, but I promise I will." The mask he was wearing managed to muffle his voice enough that she didn't realize who she was talking to, but after a moment of hesitation she nodded.

"You just saved my life, I think that's a good enough reason to trust you for now," she responded.

"Alright, just …give me…one second," Harry managed to get out as he fought hard to breathe through his injury. He stood up and once again surveyed the area. Most of the tents were now on fire and the Death Eater reinforcements were getting closer to the main village. Harry knew he needed to get out of there; there were just too many people to fight now and he was being hampered by his injury. That's no reason not to leave them with something to play with Harry thought evilly. He focused on the magic again and pointed his wand towards the tree line behind the oncoming Death Eaters. It took most of his remaining strength as he poured his magic out. He broke off the magic quickly, satisfied that his intention had worked when he felt the ground begin to shake

The line of Death Eaters that had come from the forest had also felt it and turned behind them to see the cause. Many of them openly gaped as they watched the trees from the forest begin to uproot themselves and then start walking forward as fast as they could. The Death Eaters began firing curses, but even when the trees took damage they could feel no pain so they continued to push forward. As they reached the Death Eaters the animated trees reached down and picked up the Death Eaters, squeezing the life out of them with their limbs and branches. One Death Eater though it would be smart to try and light the trees on fire, but all it accomplished was having burning branches wrapped around him as the tree lifted him up. He screamed in terror as the flames from the tree spread to his robes and he was slowly burnt alive. Having seen enough of the show, Harry turned his attention back to Hermione who was watching entranced by the walking trees.

"Come…on Hermione. I'm…going to…change forms…and you're going…to ride…on my back until…we get past the…anti-Apparation ward," Harry finished breathlessly.

"Wait, what do you-," Hermione started to ask, but was silenced when a giant stallion stood right in front of her. She struggled for a second to get mounted on its back, but managed after a minute. Feeling that she was securely on his back, Harry started to gallop back to where Dobby had brought him. He ran as fast as he could, but it was a new experience riding with somebody seated upon his back and it was treacherous trying to navigate the woods in the dark. Once Harry felt they were in the right spot he stopped, prompting Hermione to slide off of his back. He turned back to his normal form and reached out one of his gloved hands for his friend to take.

"Ready?" Harry asked

"Yes," Hermione answered with little hesitation. Harry prayed this would work because he was worried the shelter wouldn't allow someone who wasn't a Potter in, but he was able to sigh in relief when he recognized the familiar main room that he had grown accustomed to. He let go of Hermione's hand and then fell backward onto a couch.

"Now would you mind telling me who you are?" Hermione asked, extremely curious.

"Of course…, but you…already know." Harry pushed back the hood of his cloak and tried to figure out how to remove his mask.

"How do I already know y-. Har- Harry!" Harry had barely managed to remove his mask when he was hit by the missile that was his best friend. He felt her arms around his neck hugging him tightly, so he moved his own up to encircle her back. It felt so good to hug her that he never wanted to let her go, but was brought back to reality when Hermione accidentally bumped into the dagger that was still stuck in his side. She obviously knew something was wrong when she felt him tense up and looked down at her right hand that was now covered in blood.

"Oh my God Harry, you've been stabbed! Quick let's get this stuff off of you." She helped him to remove his cloak and armor until she got a good look at the dagger embedded in his body. "We're going to have to take the dagger out Harry, but it's going to be extremely painful," she said sadly.

"Don't…worry Hermione. It can't…be much worse…then it is…now," Harry stated lamely. "Do it!" He ordered more strongly. Hermione nodded and Harry braced himself. He knew at once that he was wrong because it definitely could get worse. The last thing that he saw before he blacked out was a crying Hermione holding a blood encrusted dagger.


	15. Chapter 15

Harry cracked his eyes open and quickly realized he wasn't wearing his glasses as thing were considerably blurry. He knew he was lying in his bed, but had no clue as to how he had ended up there. Turning to his right he saw his glasses sitting on one of the pillows that he hadn't been using and he slipped them on his face. He pulled himself up, letting the blanket that covered him slip down his body. That was when he remembered the last time he had been awake there had been a weapon stuck in his side. Somebody had obviously divested him of his blood stained shirt so he was able to get a good look at the area where the dagger had been; surprisingly all the evidence of the injury that was left was a small area where the skin looked like it had been irritated. He lifted his left arm up to test for any pain in his side, but there was only some slight stiffness. Pulling the covers off of his legs, he sat on the edge of his bed feeling like he was forgetting something. He started replaying the events from earlier in his head; Dobby had come back and told him about the attack on the village, he decided to go and help, he fought and killed some of the Death Eaters off, and then he saved…Hermione! He smacked himself in the head, how could that have slipped his mind? But how was it possible, he had gone to the Granger's and seen the burnt house and car. That brought up another question though; where was she now?

He stood up from the bed and took a few steps, but had to halt for a second as he started to become dizzy; most likely from the extreme blood loss he had just experienced. Closing his, eyes he took a deep breath and continued walking, this time with not as much trouble. He panicked at first when he peered around the main room and couldn't find her, but as he moved around he finally noticed her sleeping on one of the couches. Harry moved closer to the couch as quietly as he could manage, and then lowered himself onto the hardwood floor in front of the end of the couch where Hermione's head laid. With all of the excitement from the previous hours he hadn't really managed to get a decent look at her up until now. While she was sleeping peacefully now, it didn't look like that had been the case in the previous time she had not been with him; the large black bags beneath her eyes gave that fact away. She had a few scratches on her face, some that were fresh and others that looked like they had already started healing and her lip also looked like it had been split open. Her hair wasn't its normal bushy self and the clothes she was wearing, a dark blue sweater and tight fitting pair of jeans, were dirty and torn in several places. All things considered, he couldn't care less what she looked like at the moment, it just lightened his heart to know that she was lying right in front of him, close enough to touch. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard her yawn and then looked at her face and saw her eyelids flutter open.

"Hey, I didn't wake you did I?" Harry questioned softly.

"No, don't worry," she answered as she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. The next thing she did surprised him as she fell forwards and threw her arms around him once again.

"What's this for, not that I mind of course?" He asked as he hugged her back. He grew more concerned when he heard her start to sniffle and could feel tears drip onto his neck.

"I-I just wanted to make sure you were real. Everyone was s-saying you were d-dead and I just couldn't believe it. I've b-been alone for so long," she continued sobbing into his shoulder. Harry just stayed silent, caressing her back to try and comfort her. He had no idea what she had been through, but there wasn't any way he was going to start hurling questions at her. They stayed locked together for several more minutes before her crying lessened and she pulled back, wiping her tears on her sleeve. She sat staring sadly at the floor so Harry extended his hand and lifted her chin so that she was looking at him again.

"There's a spare bedroom over there," Harry said pointing it out to her, "why don't you go back in my room and go into the closet to pick out something to wear. Now that I mention, I guess I should do that to," he said looking down at his bare chest. He felt himself smile when he saw the slight blush that came to Hermione's cheeks when she realized that she had been hugging him while he was shirtless. "Take or transfigure whatever you need and then you can go get a shower in the bathroom in your room. I'll have Dobby make us some food and then we can talk."

She nodded her head and then started walking towards Harry's room, but halfway there she turned around and looked at him once again. "Thank you Harry, for saving me."

"You never have to thank me Hermione; I know you would do the same for me." Harry saw the first sign of a smile on her face before she started walking back towards the bedroom. He got up and made his way towards the kitchen. "Dobby!" Harry braced himself for what he knew was on its way. Sure enough, a second later, Harry was trying to pry off the house elf that was latched to his knee.

"I'm alright Dobby, you can let go now."

"Dobby is sorry sir," the elf said quickly detaching, "he is just worried after seeing you injured so badly. What can Dobby do for you?"

"I appreciate the concern Dobby. Could you fix something for Hermione and me? We'll be out in a few minutes after we get a change of clothes."

"Right away Harry Potter sir."

Harry left the kitchen, watching as Dobby set to work. He walked into his bedroom and noticed Hermione had already left. Walking in the bathroom he went to get cleaned up.

Fifteen minutes later Harry came out of his room showered and in a fresh outfit. Hermione hadn't emerged from the other room so Harry went and sat at the dining table where Dobby had left several platters of food out. He started to make a plate for himself, but stopped when he saw his friend come out. If Harry had never paid attention to the fact that his best friend was a girl, he absolutely was now. Her hair was still slightly wet, but she looked a million times better than she had. That wasn't what got his attention though; it was what she was wearing. She had either found or transfigured something into a dark blue, short dress that tied around the back of her neck and he could pretty much make out every curve of her body, even if she had lost a bit of weight since the last time he had seen her. He cursed the wizarding world for their obsession with wearing robes that kept everything covered. Harry quickly chastised himself to keep his hormones under control. He watched as Hermione slowly walked over and seated herself next to him at the table.

"You look a whole lot better Hermione and that dress looks good on you."

"Thank you Harry, that's sweet. All I've had to wear for a month is jeans and I needed something that was more comfortable. This place is really nice by the way, but what is it?" she asked a she heartily dug into the plate of food she had fixed for herself.

"It was a shelter that was built by my family around two hundred years ago. They could come here if there was ever any threat on the family. I found out about it when a goblin from Gringotts came to read Sirius' will," Harry finished softly. Hermione reached over and put her hand over his.

"How are you holding up? I mean with Sirius gone," she added.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, I miss him, but I really haven't had the time to think about it. It's been absolutely crazy since the school term ended. One day Dumbledore shows up telling me Voldemort's gonna take over and that I need to be prepared, then a week later the Death Eaters strike and I'm on the run. I've been sitting in this place training for two months knowing the Weasleys have been captured and thinking that you were dead."

"Why did you think I was dead Harry," Hermione asked curiously.

"The first thing I thought of when I escaped Privet Drive was that you were with muggles and that I needed to see if you were alright. Next thing I know, I'm in front of your house seeing the place burnt down with the car still there. I just thought that meant that you had been there."

Hermione stared down at the table and Harry could see a few tears escape her eyes. "I can't believe it's gone," she whispered quietly. Harry held the hand that had been covering his and thought about the next question he wanted to ask, not knowing if he really wanted to know the answer.

"Whe-where are your parents Hermione?" Yes he definitely wasn't looking forward to that answer as he saw Hermione's reaction. He looked at her as she shuddered and pulled her arms around her torso, hugging herself. The tears were now freely falling down her cheeks.

"We we-were on vacation in California when the Death Eaters showed up. I don't know how they found us, but they did. They knew I was a muggleborn witch and they attacked us. We were just walking out of a restaurant and all these men in black robes started running down the streets. M-my father went to defend my mother, but one of the Death Eaters hit him with the killing curse!" Hermione was actually shaking by this point so Harry pushed away from the table and went to wrap his arms around her.

"What about your mum Hermione?"

"Th-they took her away. Somebody grabbed her and they just disappeared. I ran after that. I don't know how to Apparate, but I've heard that they've put wards up around all of the countries so that you can't jump from one to the other anyway. I found a bunch of other muggleborns along the way and we've been on the run ever since. It's been absolutely horrible since then, and then someone told us they were reporting that you were dead and I nearly went mad," she said breaking down. Harry let her keep crying for several minutes thinking of what to say.

"Hermione I know what its like to lose a parent and it's the most horrible thing that you could experience. I also know it's much worse for you because you've gotten to spend so much time with them. I can't bring your father back, but I swear if your mother is out there I'll do everything in my power to bring her back to you." Harry pulled her head up so that his fiery green eyes were looking directly into her teary brown ones. "Do you hear me Hermione? I promise. We'll work together and we will get her back."

"I hear you Harry, thank you," she said wiping her eyes again. "Now that I've finished with all of the water works, why don't we finish eating?"

"I think that's a good idea. We don't want to waste Dobby's cooking," Harry commented falling back into his seat.

"How did you and Dobby end up together anyway?

"Well I had to go back to Sirius' cave to pick up a whole bunch of books and things that Dumbledore left for me, but when I got there Hogsmeade was in ruins and Hogwarts was in Voldemort's possession. I know it was stupid, but I snuck back into Hogwarts-,"

"Yes, definitely stupid Harry," Hermione agreed.

"Yes, well I wanted to get some food before I attempted Apparating across the Atlantic. I made my way to the kitchen and found all of the elves still there. I tried to convince them to leave, but they said they were bound to the school and would stay there. Since Dobby was free, I offered to hire him and that's pretty much the story. I owe him because if he wouldn't have gotten away from the village earlier and warned me I probably would have never found you."

"I'll have to thank him later too, then. You said that Dumbledore left you books, you wouldn't mind if I had a look at them do you? There's probably a plethora of information in them."

Harry couldn't help, but laugh. This was classic Hermione, back to learning mode. "Hermione, you obviously haven't seen this whole place. I have my own library." Harry chuckled again as he saw Hermione's eyes light up. "The first time I walked in, my initial thought was that you would love it. I just figured you wouldn't ever get the chance, but now that you can you can read to your heart's content. You can even talk to Dumbledore if you want to."

Hermione looked at Harry like he had gone mad. "Harry…you know that Dumbledore was killed don't you?"

"Trust me Hermione; I'm well aware of that fact. I saw the destruction that he left from dueling Riddle. But what I'm talking about is his journal. He enchanted it like one of the paintings in his office, but instead of speaking to him, you correspond with him through writing. It freaked me out at first because my experiences with books that write back to you aren't very good."

"That's amazing Harry, I've never heard of anything like that before. What else have you been up to since you've been here?"

"Pretty much taking a page out of your book; I've been training and reading up on various skills. My family started writing this book hundreds of years ago and it's got secrets on how to perform certain types of magic. The stuff I've learned is incredible."

"Can you teach me?" She asked excitedly.

"I can teach you some of the things I've learned, but not all of it. I'm bound by the book only to show the techniques to family."

"Oh," Hermione sighed dejectedly. "That's alright Harry, I guess I'll just have to learn from the other books you have. I'm sure they're just as good." She said that, but wasn't very convincing.

"We'll figure something out Hermione. The first thing I better do is update you the prophecies that are running my life right now."


	16. Chapter 16

"Alright Hermione, try whatever you want to." Harry raised his wand and stepped back into a balanced dueling position.

"_Impedimentia! Diffindo!_" Hermione fired the hexes in quick succession straight towards Harry's position. He didn't move a muscle as he sensed the first hex was off target, and was proven correct when it soared over his left shoulder. The second hex had been fired so quickly after the first that he barely had time to react. Unlike the first this one was on target, so he focused on the magic around him and then with a sweeping motion pushed the offending hex to the left away from his chest.

"Those were good, but just remember that if I were a real opponent to not stop casting. I almost couldn't deflect the second one because it was done right after your first," Harry complimented. "I know this is most likely a foolish question, but have you looked at any material on silently casting spells?"

"Of course Harry," she answered almost looking offended, "I started reading about them while we were researching spells for the D.A. Unfortunately we never got far enough before we were stopped by Umbridge to actually cover them."

"What about you, can you do it?"

"I tried a few at the end of last term and they went alright, not anything special though," she finished humbly.

Harry answered her with a skeptical grin. "Hermione, knowing you they were more than just alright." She graced him with slight blush and a shrug of her shoulders. "Well let's see you try them and this time I'll try to disarm you as well. Ready?"

The two duelers took a few more steps apart in their makeshift arena, which was a small clearing in the forest. Harry leaned back on his heals, waiting for Hermione to strike first. Unfortunately Hermione was applying the same tactics and was just rocking back and forth in anticipation of his own attack. Deciding that he didn't want to spend all day just standing around, Harry conceded and launched a silent stunner at his friend followed by a stinging hex. Hermione looked completely focused as she waved her wand and brought up a simple shield. The stunner impacted the shield and caused it to falter knocking Hermione off balance and onto her bum; luckily for her the stinging hex passed right over after she fell, ridding her of the need to dodge it. Gathering herself together she rose to her feet and silently cast her own stunner along with a tripping jinx and cutting curse.

Harry crouched down letting the stunner pass by harmlessly, but stumbled slightly right into the path of the tripping jinx. He fell forward slightly bringing a shield up quickly in the process and deflecting the cutting curse. Steadying himself he fired back with a small flame spell that he had learned. The thing about this spell though was that it wasn't supposed to directly cause any injury. Hermione stood across from him not looking extremely concerned about the small flame curse that was heading towards her. She raised her wand ready to put up a shield, but that's when the real purpose of the spell showed itself. The small ball of fire suddenly stopped its momentum and erupted into a gigantic sphere of rippling flames. The explosion forced Hermione backwards as she raised both of her hand to shield her eyes, leaving her defenseless. Happy with his planned strategy, Harry extended his wand and shot a disarming spell at Hermione. She didn't even notice as her wand was extracted from her hand and propelled behind her. He quickly waved his wand and the ball of fire was extinguished. Noticing that Hermione still hadn't lowered her hand, Harry walked over to her and grabbed one of her hands in each of his, and then slowly lowered them down away from her eyes.

"Are you alright Hermione?"

She rapidly blinked her eyes which Harry could see were tearing slightly. "Yes, I'm fine. That spell just caught me by surprise. That was amazing Harry, I've never seen a spell before that has a delayed reaction like that. I wasn't even paying attention to the fact you disarmed me. Speaking of which, do you know where my wand went to?" She looked down and stared at their joined hands. Harry, forgetting that he hadn't let go, quickly pulled away and walked behind Hermione searching for the wand, not noticing her gaze never leaving him.

Harry kept walking, the dead branches and leaves crunching beneath his feet, scanning the area for any sign of the wand. Not having any luck, he decided to go about it the easy way and simply summoned the wand from its resting place beneath a fallen tree into his hand. He turned back around and looked up past the tree line. Harry hadn't even realized that they had been outdoors that long, but the daylight was slowly waning away. Walking back to Hermione he held out her wand which she took back gratefully.

"Why don't we go back inside, it's starting to get dark out?" Harry inquired. Hermione nodded in agreement and before she had a chance to prepare herself, Harry wrapped his arms around and they quickly disappeared from their practice spot in the forest.

xXxXxXxXx

Harry sat back in his chair that occupied the library and looked over where his best friend was sitting flipping through one of the various books she had been reading. He had been stealing glances at her for the past hour or so, but she had shown no signs of stopping her academic endeavors. Ever since she had arrived a week ago she had spent most of her time reading while occasionally letting Harry help her duel. Harry could only guess it was her way of dealing with the death of her father and kidnapping of her mother. He knew however, that no amount of books would make her feel any better. The evidence of that was at night. Harry now spent half of his time in the spare bedroom at night comforting Hermione through her tears as she dealt with the nightmares that plagued her.

It wasn't that he was complaining about sharing a bed with Hermione, because that most certainly was not a problem; it was actually quite enjoyable when she wasn't crying. He had found something out about her sleeping habits and that was the fact she tossed and turned more than a small child at night and most of the time ended up splayed across him. No, that wasn't the problem, the problem was that she was following the same path that he usually took with his feelings, and that was bottling them up. This was so unlike the usual outspoken girl that he knew and loved. When she wasn't reading she became very quiet and only acknowledged Harry when he directly spoke to her.

He closed the book on healing that he had been previously reading and sat it down on the arm of his chair. Putting his feet down onto the chilled wooden floor, he made his way over to where Hermione was sitting. Amazingly she didn't even notice him get up or had chosen to ignore him. Hoping it was the former and not the latter he came up behind her and firmly placed his hands on her shoulders. She was certainly surprised by the sudden contact because she jumped up in her chair and lost her book as it smacked onto the floor. Hermione turned to look at what had touched her and fixed Harry with a stern glare.

"Merlin Harry, you frightened me! What's wrong?" Hermione asked as she reached down to gather up her fallen book. Unfortunately for Hermione, she never managed to retrieve it because Harry had moved quickly and picked it up first. "Harry! What are you doing?" she asked exasperated. "Give me back that book, I was reading it." She lunged for the book, but Harry swiftly pulled the book to his chest and she fell to the floor.

"Listen Hermione, we really need to talk, and we need to do it away from these books," Harry stated, throwing the book across the room and leaving Hermione with a stunned look upon her face.

Hermione looked turned her attention back to Harry and folded her arms over her chest. "Fine," she huffed, "let's talk." She lowered herself back down into her seat.

Harry found another chair and pulled it in front of her own. "Alright Hermione, I know you love reading and studying, but you've taken it to a new extreme. You spend every waking moment in this library. As soon as you wake up, your in the library, after you eat a meal, you're right back in the library."

Hermione looked down and wouldn't meet his eyes. "I know I've spent most of my time here, but I just feel like it's what I need to do. I can't take on a Death Eater like you can Harry, and I'm no use to you or anybody if I can't fight."

"Hermione, of course you're a great help to me. You're the smartest person I've ever met and if I wanted advice on anything you're the person I'm coming to ask. That's the main reason I needed to talk to you. I want your help to plan things and I definitely need it if we're ever going to get your mum back or take down Voldemort, but I can't get your help when you won't even talk to me."

"I'm sorry Harry, I've been horrible…" she started apologizing in a weak voice.

"Don't apologize Hermione, there is no reason to. You have every right to be depressed and angry with what you've been through, but we need to get to work and do things together if we want to make any progress. That doesn't mean that you can't read because I would be a complete idiot to try and keep Hermione Granger away from a book," Harry said teasingly grabbing one of Hermione's hands in his own. She raised her head again and he was pleased to see a smile on her face. "Now about this whole fighting thing, by the time we're finished I'm going to make sure that you can battle any Death Eater you meet. It would be a whole lot easier if I could teach you the things out of my family book, but unless I think of a way around the whole secrecy aspect were going to have to continue it the hard way. Now it's late so why don't we turn in for the night?"

"Will you still stay with me tonight? The nightmares have been really bad the last couple nights." Hermione looked down, ashamed at what she was going through.

Harry rubbed the hand that he was holding and reassuringly answered, "Of course, Hermione. Why don't we try my room for a change, maybe a change of scenery will help?"

Hermione smiled at him, "Sure, let me go get changed and I'll meet you in there." She moved out of the chair and towards the main room when Harry noticed that she was walking gingerly.

"Hermione what's wrong, are you hurt?"

Hermione turned around quickly, obviously surprised that Harry had noticed. She quickly mumbled something, but at Harry's raised eyebrows she repeated herself. "I said that when we were dueling before your stunner knocked me backwards and I fell on my bum, are you happy," she said her face tinged pink.

Harry had to fight the grin that was trying to show on his face. "Of course I'm not happy," he said seriously. He was able to keep the seriousness façade up for another few seconds before it broke. "Do you need me to rub it for you? I'm willing to do whatever's necessary to make it better."

"Harry!" Hermione yelled looking shocked. Her face had gone completely red and she quickly made her way out of the library. Harry held for another second before he completely lost it and fell on the floor laughing.

xXxXxXxXx

The next morning Harry woke more refreshed than normal. Miraculously Hermione hadn't woken up with any nightmares so they had both slept soundly. One thing hadn't changed though, and that was the fact that Hermione still rolled when she slept. Harry lifted his head from his pillow and saw that she had her head tucked under his left arm and her left arm was lying across his chest. He was also reminded of what she was wearing which was a thin t-shirt and extremely short pair of shorts. It didn't help him that the shirt had ridden up some and he had a very good view of her stomach which he was having trouble looking away from. Right before he was going to turn away he noticed something that didn't look right. Right in the middle of her abdomen was a thin red line that disappeared up into her chest covered by her shirt. The realization of what it was hit him like ton of bricks. It was the scar the Dolohov had left on her chest. Anger built up in Harry when he though how that bastard had permanently scarred Hermione's body. She would have to wake up everyday and look at the evil that marked her body; Harry had no trouble identifying with that.

"What's wrong Harry?"

Startled, Harry looked down and saw Hermione's sleepy brown eyes staring up at him. Though she was awake she didn't make to move away from him.

"I'm sorry," Harry stated dejectedly.

Hermione awakened a bit more and looked at him in a confused manner. "For what Harry?"

"For this," Harry whispered and reached out to lightly graze his fingers at the beginning of her scar. He felt her inhale quickly as the skin on his fingers made contact with her own. He was surprised when she brought her own hand up and trapped his hand onto her abdomen.

"Harry," she started softly, "this wasn't your fault. You didn't make me go with you to the ministry; in fact you only tried to stop me. It was my own choice and the only person I have to blame for this is Dolohov and the rest of those murderers."

Harry nodded reluctantly, trying to believe what she was saying. "How big is the scar?" Harry asked curiously.

He had expected to just verbally tell him, but the next thing Harry knew, Hermione had pulled the rest of her shirt up to her neck. Harry's jaw dropped as he was first drawn to Hermione's breasts that were being concealed by a black bra. They weren't overly large, but they were perfect in Harry's eyes. Quickly remembering what he was supposed to be looking at he turned his attention back to the beginning of the scar. He started at the beginning and traced the path upwards with his eyes. It traveled from the middle of her abdomen, up between her breasts and stopped a small distance from her left collarbone. The scar wasn't extremely dark, but it was still noticeable. Sensing that Harry was finished, Hermione lowered her shirt back to where it had been at the middle of her stomach. They just sat there for several more minutes in silence before Hermione made a move to get out of bed.

"I'm going to go take a shower and change. I'll meet you outside for breakfast alright?" She asked. Harry nodded, but called to her before she made it out of the room. "What is it?"

Harry stared straight into her eyes. "Hermione, you know that scar doesn't change anything right? You're still beautiful, scar or not." Harry couldn't help, but smile when he saw Hermione's face light up.

"Thank you Harry," she said as she continued out of the room.

Harry pulled himself out of the bed and made his way to go shower as well.

Twenty minutes later Harry made his way out his bedroom and joined Hermione who was already seated at the table drinking tea while skimming through a book. She looked up when she saw him get closer.

"Hey, what took you so long? I thought males were supposed to take less time to get ready," she joked.

"Very funny," Harry retorted as he took a seat and grabbed a few pieces of toast from a plate on the table. "I took longer because I was trying to decide what to do with my hair. It's the longest it's ever been and it's getting into my eyes. It won't do to have it blind me when I'm in the middle of a battle."

"What are you going to do with it, just tie it back?"

"No, I think I'm just going to shave it all off."

Hermione looked up surprised, "I've never seen you with your hair cut short."

Harry shrugged. "Yeah well usually I have to worry about people gawking at my forehead, trying to see the great Harry Potter," he stated sarcastically, "so I usually leave it long to hide my scar. But now I know if people are gawking at my scar, they're probably Death Eaters and I better get ready for a fight. I'm actually really tired of having to hide it."

"If you want I can do it for you later. I'm pretty good at those kind of spells."

Harry smiled at her. "Thanks Hermione, that would be great. Just make sure you only remove hair and not my scalp."

"Of course," Hermione answered rolling her eyes. "Now I was thinking we should start coming up with some sort of plan or timetable because we can't stay here forever."

"That's a good idea Hermione, we should really start getting prepared because as soon a I get you ready to fight with me than we can head to Greece to check out this other prophecy."

"We're going to have a problem with that though Harry, we can't Apparate there." Harry looked at her questioningly. "Remember they have anti-Apparation wards up all along the borders," she explained.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Harry took a sip of his tea and leaned back in his chair thinking. All of a sudden it came to him. His eyes lit up and he turned towards Hermione.

"What is it Harry?"

"I know how we're going to get there, but you're not going to be very happy," he said sheepishly.

"What are you talking about …Oh! No way Harry, there's no way it is going to happen," she stated looking absolutely terrified.

"Looks like we're going to have to find you a broom," Harry laughed.


	17. Chapter 17

Harry stared down at the map that was laying spread out on top of the dining table. He had asked Dobby to find the nearest city that contained a wizarding section and he was told it was Vancouver. He was sure that there were other small wizarding villages like the one where he rescued Hermione, but he wasn't sure he would be able to locate what he was looking for; that of course was a broom for Hermione. There were probably brooms available in those other small villages, but he needed one that could keep up with his Firebolt. It was highly unlikely he would find one of that caliber in a small Canadian village.

It was very early in the morning and Harry had left his bed as quietly as possible as to prevent Hermione from waking up. He was sure that she was going to be upset with him after she realized he had left without her, but he really wasn't concerned at the moment. She had been glaring at him and giving dirty looks ever since he had concocted the idea of using brooms to leave the country. Harry knew she was deathly afraid of flying, but it wasn't like they had any other choice in the matter. Apparation was out of the question because of the wards and he couldn't make a portkey because they could be tracked. They also couldn't take any form of muggle transportation.

Harry sighed and rubbed his hands over his newly shaven head. He regretted asking Hermione to do it because it wasn't a smart move to have someone who was angry at you cut your hair; she hadn't been very gentle. It had hurt during the process, but it was worth it. He could finally rotate his head without strands of hair obscuring his vision and he had to admit it gave him a sort of tough guy image; he was also pleased to say that Hermione seemed to like it as well. Realizing he was wasting time daydreaming and Hermione could wake any moment; he pushed back from the table and stood up.

"Dobby," Harry voiced as quietly as possible. The elf ran out of the kitchen at the sound of Harry's voice.

"What can Dobby be doing for Harry Potter sir?"

"Could you give this to Hermione when she wakes up?" Harry asked as he handed a short note to the house elf. "You should leave quickly after you hand her the note because she won't be very happy after she reads it," he advised. Dobby bowed and scurried back into the kitchen.

Harry adjusted his armor which he had already dressed in; he had been forced to clean the blood off of it from his last excursion and he was hoping to avoid that on this trip. He slipped on the outer maroon cloak, grabbed his mask off of the dining table and went to find his broom. He had thought it would be better to fly into the outskirts of the town instead of Apparating into the unknown like he had done on previous occasions. Walking towards the thick curtain that hid the exit to the cave, Harry tried as hard as possible to soften the clap of his boots on the hard wooden floor. His broom was lying just on the opposite side of the curtain so he attached his mask to his face, feeling it automatically expand to fit, then reached down for his Firebolt and rubbed some dirt off with his gloved hand.

He had been thinking about trying something out the next time he went flying, just to test if it would work, and now was the time for it. Lifting his leg and sword over the broom to straddle, he grabbed on tightly to the broom's shaft and then made a move to Apparate. Normally when Apparating, one would concentrate on appearing firmly on the ground of some destination, but Harry concentrated on appearing several meters off of the ground above his shelter. At first he was afraid it wouldn't work as he quickly started plunge straight down on his broom, but just a short distance from the solid forest floor, the broom accelerated and Harry pulled up, lifting him above the tree line.

He was glad to be wearing so many layers as the frigid air ripped past his speeding body. It was exhilarating being back up on his Firebolt as he had missed almost two straight years of playing quidditch. He had been flying recently in his animal forms, but it just wasn't the same as flying as a human; it was like going against the laws of nature and doing something the body wasn't meant to. He soared along the sky in silence, just admiring the scenery. There was a long mountain range that he followed for the majority of the journey. Harry pushed the Firebolt to its maximum speed until he could vaguely see the outline of several skyscrapers in the distance. He began coasting along until the city came into full view and then rapidly descended towards a vacant alley.

Harry pulled his wand out at the same time he dismounted his broom. He muttered a simple shrinking spell on the Firebolt and then slipped it into a pocket on the interior of his cloak. Walking out of the alley, he finally noticed the state of things in the city. It was easy to tell the Death Eaters had already been there. In just the area he was in, he could see flipped and scorched automobiles along with crumbled buildings and storefronts. He walked alertly along the pavement before he was confronted with a scene that would haunt him for years to come. Apparently the residents of the city had refused to go quietly, because right in the middle of the street in a four way intersection, hundreds of bodies, muggle and wizard alike, lay bloody and lifeless. The Death Eaters had been unforgiving on the rebellious citizens; the effects of their curses were more gruesome than anything he had ever seen. He noticed several Death Eater corpses lying among the dead had fallen victim to muggle weapons, but unfortunately the enemy dead was incomparable to the amount of innocents. Harry was glad for the fact his mask blocked out his sense of smell because he was sure those bodies had been present for quite some time.

Doing his best to continue on, Harry walked through the deserted streets searching for the area that Dobby had informed him about. It took him another twenty minutes, but he finally stumbled upon the location. It was a large library shaped like the Roman Coliseum which was attached to an office building. Out front, visible only to magical beings, was a broken wooden bench. Taking his wand he tapped bench twice and then waited. Several seconds later, the bench started to lift up, bringing the pavement with it. There was now a gaping hole left in the walkway, and when Harry went down he noticed a descending spiral staircase. He didn't have to worry about lighting his wand tip because he could see brightness radiating up towards him. He took one last quick glance around, noticing nothing, and then began his trip down. The light that had been radiating up was from torches that lined the stone wall surrounding the staircase. It took five minutes to reach the bottom and that was where he got his first glance of the magical area.

It was set up much like Diagon Alley with a walkway in the middle and then shops scattered on the flanks. It was set up like it, but it definitely wasn't the same. Harry had been surprised when Dobby told him the city was underground, but he was extremely curious to see it. It may have been the fact that there was only artificial lighting or the fact that most of the shops were boarded up and closed, but this place didn't exude the same sense of wonder and excitement that one could feel when first walking into Diagon Alley.

Harry took a few tentative steps forward and that was when he heard a piercing scream coming from inside one of the buildings. He stopped dead and put his wand up ready for a fight. He turned his head side to side, looking for any sign of trouble and when he turned left his eyes fell on a pub called The Golden Goblin. The building was two stories tall and was constructed out of wood, making it look like something out of an American Western film. There was a large pane of glass next to entrance and Harry could see it wasn't boarded up like the others. The thing that caught his attention was movement coming from the opposite side of the glass. Waiting for something to happen, he was rewarded with another scream and a body flying through the window in the front of the establishment. The figure who had come through the window was a man wearing an apron, obviously the owner of the pub. The shattered glass had lacerated him in several spots, most prominent was a large gash on his balding head. The man writhed on the cobbled walkway, trying to staunch the flow of blood from his head. Harry was a second away from going to offer aid when two more figures in masks and black robes stepped out of the hole left by the broken window. He stayed still and silent because they had yet to realized he was present. One of the Death Eaters, who was large and muscled, walked slowly forward and roughly placed his foot on the pub owner's chest.

"Did you really believe we wouldn't find out you were hiding mudbloods you fool?" the Death Eater asked with a growl. "It's a shame we're going to have to kill you. Just another dead blood traitor." The Death Eater raised his wand and pointed it directly between the bleeding man's eyes. Harry, realizing what was about to happen, decided it was time to intervene.

"You idiots do realize that more than half of Voldemort's followers aren't pureblooded right?" Harry asked. Both of the Death Eaters turned their masked faces toward his along with their wands.

"That may be true, but they have pledged their service and their lives to the Dark Lord and that is all that matters to him," the large Death Eater answered. Harry noticed the other one trying to get closer inconspicuously, but failing. "Now why don't you drop that wand and take off the mask before we have to hurt you?"

Harry smiled beneath his mask; like he would ever voluntarily surrender his wand! "I don't think that's going to happen, so why don't you two run back to your half blood master and tell him his time of power is coming to an end?" That comment apparently went too far for the Death Eaters, for they immediately struck. The large Death Eater fired a killing curse while the smaller one sent a cutter. Harry pointed his wand toward the ground and then swiftly pulled it up. The floor cracked in front of him and a wall of stone and earth erected itself shielding his body. The killing curse impacted the wall and tore a gigantic chunk away while the cutter barely left a mark.

Harry quickly cast a small flame charm on the bottom of the wall and then focusing on the magic around him, increased the fire until in engulfed the whole wall.

"_Expulso!_" Harry cried, aiming his wand directly at the flaming wall. The exploding curse rocketed forwards and when it hit, broke the wall apart sending the flaming debris straight at the stunned Death Eaters. Harry threw a shield around the pub owner to protect him from the danger at the last second.

The smaller Death Eater took a flaming rock straight to the head knocking off his mask, and his skin was quickly melting away from his face, revealing the muscle and bone that it normally concealed. He fought the flames for several more seconds before they finally killed him. The larger Death Eater had been more fortunate and avoided most of the bulky flaming pieces of wall. He had moved fast and extinguished his robes with a spurt of water and was back on the attack. The Death Eater raised his wand again and flung another killing curse intent on ending his opponents life. Harry, seeing it coming, dove forward under the curse and rolled right in front of the Death Eater. He drew his sword from the sheath and in the process rapped the man in the stomach with the pommel. His enemy gasped at the blow knocking him off balance; Harry raised his sword up and with a solid downward stroke separated the man's hand and wand from his body.

Harry ignored the blood curdling scream of the Death Eater and decided he was going to send a message back to Voldemort. Putting away his wand, he grasped his sword in both hands and drove it down twice more, each blow going through one of the man's feet. He fell to the ground and let out another howl of anguish which again Harry ignored. Walking forward he stood over his fallen opponent, lowered his sword and carefully engraved a letter P, like the one back on his shelter, into the man's chest. Wiping the dripping blood from his sword onto the Death Eater's robe, he sheathed it and looked back down at the man lying in a pool of his own blood.

"I'm assuming you have a portkey, am I correct?" Harry inquired. The Death Eater whimpered and nodded pathetically. "Good. Now I want you to go back to your master and tell him you're the last Death Eater I send back alive. You can also tell him not to get too comfortable because I'm coming to take back my home! Now go!" Harry watched as the Death Eater reached into his robe with his remaining hand and pulled out a length of gold chain. He squeezed it and without warning he was gone.

Remembering the man who was still lying on the ground, Harry removed his shield and knelt down next to injured victim.

"Hold still and let me close some of these cuts for you," Harry told the man as he attempted to raise himself. He passed his wand over the top of his head and watched as the largest of the wounds started to close itself. Harry closed two more cuts on the man's chest and another four along his arms. "Alright let me help you up," Harry said as he reached down, grabbed the man's arms and pulled him slowly to his feet.

"I don't know who you are sir, but I appreciate the help. My name is Sam by the way."

"Nice to meet you Sam; those two mentioned you were hiding mudbloods, are they alright?"

Sam looked down at the ground and shook his head. "No I'm afraid not. They burst in on me and killed the three I was hiding. Don't have a clue how they found out they were there, as you can see pretty much everyone is gone. They were either killed, captured or ran away. The Death Eaters passed through here about a month ago, but left me be, so I figured I would be alright…guess I was wrong about that though."

Harry was peering around everywhere while listening to the man. "Listen, you need to get yourself out of here. That Death Eater I sent back still knows what went on here and chances are they're going to send more than just two next time."

"What about you?" Sam questioned.

"Me…I actually came here for a reason. Do you know if any of the stores here sell brooms?"

"Yeah, there's one two spots down from me, but it's all boarded up," Sam answered pointing to a storefront with a broom painted on it.

"Well I really wasn't expecting anyone to be here to actually sell me one," Harry commented as he walked towards the store that Sam had gestured to. The wooden door had several planks of wood layered over it, so Harry pointed his wand and blew the whole thing out of his way. His mask blocked out the majority of the dust and debris so he walked straight into the store without hesitation. Lighting his wand he walked around, noting the different types of brooms that were still on display. There were some old Cleansweeps and Nimbuses, but the broom he was looking for was resting under a glass case. Approaching the case, he pulled his sword out, and swinging it down, shattered the glass. As he placed the sword back away, he wiped a few shards of glass from the top of the broom and then lifted it out reading the Firebolt label. Harry thought about the fact that he was giving Hermione the fastest broom available and seriously considered the possibility that he was going to have to place a sticking charm on it to keep her attached. He decided that he would fly this one back just to break it in and make sure nothing was wrong with it. As he exited the store he saw that Sam was still standing there waiting for him.

"Since you saved my life, I guess I can overlook the fact you broke into that store and stole a broom," he said grinning.

Harry reached into his cloak and untied a bag that he had fixed onto his belt; making sure it was still closed he threw it over to Sam who caught it at the last second before it hit the ground. He looked down into the bag and his eyes lit up when he saw the substantial amount of gold lying inside. "If you run into the owner then you can give him the gold from me and tell him I'm sorry for the damages; If not it's yours." Sam was so busy staring at the bag of gold that it took him several seconds to comprehend what Harry had told him. When he did, he looked up ready to protest, but all he saw was the back of Harry's maroon cloak as he made his way back up the winding stairs.


End file.
